Long term weather forecasts predict cool but sunny days up to Saturday, 20 June 2015. This means that cold damage on aloe flowers is unlikely before then – good news for the Sunbird Aloes Open Day and Sale from 09h00 to 16h00 on the 20th of June.

Because we are a wholesale nuresery, we normally only take orders for 10 or more plants, but on Saturday everyone is welcome – from people who are looking for a single, nice aloe for Father’s Day to landscapers who would like to make use of the low prices. In fact there will be a 10% discount on all orders of 10 or more plants.

The sale takes place at the Sunbird Aloes open growing area in Hyperion Drive, North Riding, Randburg, just off the corner of Bellairs Drive. There is safe and convenient parking behind the Fuchsia and Azalea Nursery, entrance in Hyperion Road.

Followers of our website may have noticed that a number of exciting, new hybrid cultivars have found their way onto www.sunbirdaloes.co.za . Please keep looking, new additions will keep happening during the last few days before the sale.

The good news is that there is no plant list for the sale. Although 50-odd cultivar varieties will be laid out for your convenience, we will bend over backwards to get you the plant(s) you have on your wish list.

For more information about us visit our website www.sunbirdaloes.co.za

Mara Petersen (084 223 3144), Arnfred Nursery at Cato Ridge, KZN, has been growing a good selection of Sunbird Aloes cultivars and there will always be some of the larger varieties that will flower for the first time during the current season. She supplies retail nurseries, landscapers and her own landscaping business. Visits to the nurseries are by appointment only.

Jaap Viljoen (082 900 5455), of Rooiklip Nursery in the historic town of Swellendam (on the garden route between Cape Town and George) has become an expert on growing aloe hybrids in winter rainfall conditions since he relocated to the Western Cape in 2006. He operates a wholesale nursery but welcomes visitors by appointment. His tourist centre on the nursery property features all that is in flower at the time and is well worth the drive from Cape Town. He supplies nurseries all over the Western Cape province.

Sue Burden (084 462 2393), of Lowlands Nursery - she is the Sunbird Aloes grower in Kei Road near East London. Sue and Ian Burden joined the Sunbird Aloes family in 2011 and they now grow a large selection of Sunbird Aloes cultivars. Their wholesale nursery lies on a farm off the N6 between East London and Stutterheim. It is not open to the public but Sue would love to show garden enthusiasts, clubs/associations and landscapers around the nursery where many of the larger varieties are now coming into their own. Please phone for an appointment as Sue has her own landscaping business that takes her away from home most of the time.

In Gauteng there are three venues to take note of: Gariep Plants in Pretoria, Witkoppen Wildflower Nursery in Randburg and, of course, the Sunbird Aloes home nursery, also in Randburg.

1. Kotie Retief (082 779 2612)and his team at Gariep Plants in Faerie Glen, Pretoria, kick off their AloExpo on Saturday, 16 May this year.
2. Malcolm Hepplewhite (082 900 8324) of Witkoppen Wildflower Nursery (near the Dome in Randburg) will have his second Aloe Weekend, scheduled to showcase all the late winter flowering aloe cultivars, from 31 July to 2 August.
3. The Sunbird Aloes home nursery in Randburg, Gauteng is well worth a visit this time of year. Phone Leo on 082 824 6604 to make an appointment as the wholesale nursery is not open to the public.

Happy aloe gardening
Leo Thamm
Sunbird Aloes