Often referred to as the “plant of immortality.” Aloe Vera is a gift to the world. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant with antioxidant and antibacterial properties treasured by the garden, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, natural health, and food industries. Aloe vera contains more than 75 active ingredients, including enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, making aloe a true super plant. Aloe Vera has been in everyday life for thousands of years, and is the earliest plant in recording to be used medicinally. Aloe Vera is considered the most effective of medicinal plants. Native Americans have called aloe vera “the wand of heaven.”
Often referred to as “Green Steel,” Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. Bamboo has regenerative superpowers to sequester carbon. Every part of bamboo is useable. Bamboo may be the greatest single plant in the world for “preppers” and gardeners alike. Bamboo has thousands of uses from cooling screens, medicine (like aloe, bamboo has natural antibacterial properties), food, building, clothing, etc.
Together Aloe Vera and Bamboo combine their natural talents to create not only zen like gardens, but to function as super plants in your garden; healing both you and the environment.
Planting Bamboo and Aloe Vera Together in Hot Climates
In a typically drier zone 9 garden, aloe and bamboo can be planted together with wise site selection. While both aloe and many bamboo varieties are drought tolerant, aloe vera generally requires less water than bamboo. Aloe planted on the periphery of a bamboo stand, or planted on the angled berm of a bamboos watering ring, will thrive by “borrowing” some of bamboos irrigation. Here in the Central Valley, our zone 9 garden pairs bamboo and aloe beautifully. Bamboo adds structure and lush elegance to aloe vera’s innate shrubby beauty. Their green and yellow hues harmonize, while their unique features add depth and structure to what would be a very dry and harsh summer landscape. Aloe’s showy blooms in the spring and it’s vibrant green colors, pair beautifully with bamboos lush stately elegance, creating a dream pairing for your hot weather garden.
Interesting Hot weather Aloe Vera and Bamboo Facts
Aloe was used by Alexander the Great and Christopher Columbus to treat soldiers’ wounds. Here in zone 9, Aloe keeps us healthy by providing natural medicine for our sunburns and wounds. Aloe Vera grows in the driest parts of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe. Aloe vera is a succulent, favoring dry conditions to allow the plant to store water. Aloe Vera loves full sun to partial sun, and is best suited for warmer conditions. Aloe vera is a nearly indestructible plant in zones 9 and 10. Aloe grows in almost all soil types, but prefers well draining soil or a soilless mix with organic material.
Bamboo keeps us cool in hot weather by providing shade, moisture retention, and sanctuary from the direct sun. Many bamboos absolutely thrive in Mediterranean conditions! While this may appear optimistic given that many bamboos originated from Asia, it’s also quite true. Bamboo does thrive in hot weather, as there are many drought tolerant bamboo varieties that love summer heat, and thrive in mild winters. Bamboo can keep your pets and livestock cool and well fed in summers, by offering protection and a meal from it’s lush summer foliage. Bamboo can be a nearly indestructible plant in zones 9 and 10, capable of shedding it leaves in arid conditions and focusing its energy underground, tapping into its immense underground water stores to keep the rhizomes alive for another season.
Both bamboo and aloe vera are immensely useful, beautiful, capable, and hardy plants in hot weather climates. We consider ourselves fortunate and lucky to call them paired garden friends.
“Aloe Vera and bamboo provide us with beauty and functional benefit uncommon to a modern world“
