If you’re a fan of aloe plants and love decorating for the holidays, you’ll love growing ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe. This succulent has thick, dark green, red, and crimson leaves that scream Christmas time.
Plant expert and hybridizer Kelly Griffin created the cultivar in California with a ‘Doran Black’ parent. It’s a small and drought-tolerant cultivar capable of turning your rock garden or indoor space into a festive show of color.
This gorgeous holiday succulent can handle a little frost and dry conditions, making it ideal for Southwest gardens and yards. If you’re looking for a succulent to liven the holiday mood, try growing a ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe this holiday season.
‘Christmas Carol’ Aloe Overview
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What Is It?
The ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe is a hybrid with dark green leaves and red to crimson trimming. It has red bumps that can appear yellow on some plants. It’s compact and easy to grow, needing minimal maintenance throughout the year.
This succulent thrives in zones 9-11 and can handle drought. It grows well in rock gardens and indoor succulent gardens. Many gardeners in drier regions love it because of its Christmas tree-like colors and compact size.
Like other aloes, it contains aloin, a compound in the plant’s sap that has many health benefits. The most common use is in burn treatments, anti-bacterial gels, and health drinks. The plant is not toxic to humans but may cause some issues for pets and animals.
Characteristics
‘Christmas Carol’ aloe leaves can grow to one foot. It has rough skin covered in red, pink, or yellow bumps. With more sun, the bumps and trim can become more colorful. The succulent grows an abundance of leaves that form a star-shaped rosette.
From fall to winter, you’ll enjoy bright red to pink flowers that grow on stalks from the plant’s center. As if this perennial couldn’t get more festive, its flowers look like tiny trumpets.
Grow this succulent along with other aloes to break up their monotonous green color patterns. Or, grow it near other holiday favorites such as poinsettias and Norfolk Island pine. If you live in dry regions, they can add a pop of holiday-inspired color to your outdoor rock garden.
Native Area
Aloe is native to Sub-Sahara Africa, Madagascar, and the Middle East. There are over 600 species in the genus and countless cultivars. Members of the genus grow near coastlines, in dry rocky outcrops, and even mountains over 11,000 feet high!
‘Christmas Carol’ aloe is a unique hybrid from California. It thrives in similar climates to its genus’ native range, including Mediterranean and desert climates. Like other members of the genus, this hybrid is a popular ornamental plant in warm indoor and outdoor gardens around the world.
Planting
Grow this colorful hybrid in well-drained soil. Keep it away from cold temperatures below 25°F (-4°C). Frost damage and root rot are the most common killers of this compact plant.
Find an outdoor or indoor space with plenty of direct sunlight. You can grow it near big, south-facing windows that get plenty of direct sun. If you live in Northern climates with cloudy winters, you might find this cultivar tricky to grow.
When growing outdoors, it will grow new rosettes that will propagate over small spaces. As long as your succulent doesn’t get too much water, it will live for several years.
Transplanting
Like other succulents, this plant is easy to transplant. Carefully take it out from its container and plant it to its crown in the ground or a small pot. It thrives in a simple cactus blend soil with good drainage.
After two or three years in the same container, your aloe will benefit from repotting. Find a similar-sized container with plenty of drainage holes and use the right soil. It may suffer from transplant shock, so give it enough care and attention to make it through.
How to Grow
‘Christmas Carol’ aloe is as easy to grow and hardy up to 25°F (-4°C). It’s easy to propagate and will give you generations of colorful rosettes for years to come. Let’s look closer at the growing requirements of this holiday-themed succulent.
Light
Like many other succulents, this festive hybrid loves the sun. Grow it outdoors in full sun and keep it away from shady trees or buildings. It can handle a little shade but prefers plenty of direct sunlight.
If you grow it indoors, keep it near a bright open window. Aim for at least six hours a day. South-facing windows in the Northern Hemisphere get the most direct sunlight.
Water
This cultivar can survive droughts for a short period but prefers consistent watering. Give it a good soak once a week and let the soil completely dry between waterings.
One of the biggest threats to your plant is overwatering. Too much water will create soggy soil and lead to root rot, which will kill your plant. If it’s growing in well-draining cactus soil with a regular watering schedule, it should stay vibrant.
Soil
Its soil should be loose and porous to allow good drainage. Like other members of its genus, ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe loves sandy soil.
Try making a soil combination of one part pumice or perlite, two parts sand or grit, and two parts potting soil. Add a little compost for nutrients and you should be good to go.
The trick is to avoid soggy soil. By having a composite that includes perlite, sand, and pumice, water will move freely through the soil. This keeps the tiny roots from experiencing root rot.
Temperature and Humidity
Keep your succulent in a dry environment with minimal humidity. Members of this genus evolved in dry desert-like climates. The closer you can come to mimic that environment, the better.
Cold temperatures below 25°F (-4°C) will kill your succulent. It thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones of 9-11, which includes most of Southern California, Southern Arizona, and much of Florida.
In places such as Florida and Hawaii, it’s best to grow this plant indoors or in rocky outcrops shielded by the rain. It’ll be happy as an indoor plant as long as your space is warm and dry.
Fertilizing
Like other varieties in its genus, ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer to grow strong. The most important thing is to include plenty of organic material in its potting soil. This should give it enough nutrients until it’s time to repot it.
If you choose to fertilize, try a special cactus fertilizer diluted to around half its strength or weaker. As always, follow the directions on the package for the best results. Don’t fertilize when your aloe is dormant in fall and winter.
Maintenance
This succulent requires very little attention. Make sure it’s not getting too much water and has enough direct sunlight. Watch for pests or root rot and keep it away from the cold. Other than that, sit back and enjoy its vivid holiday colors.
Propagation
Aloe just may be one of the easiest plants to propagate. Simply remove the small pups that grow off the parent plant. Or, take a stem cutting. Both ways are easy to do, even if you’re a novice gardener.
Once you master propagating this beautiful plant, you can start gifting it for the holidays! It’s easy to take care of and makes a colorful addition to a warm-weather garden or indoor space. Below are the easiest ways to propagate your ‘Christmas Carol’ aloe.
Cuttings
Stem cuttings work best for plants that comprise one rosette, or central concentration of leaves and roots. Find the healthiest leaves to make your cuttings.
Start by disinfecting your knife with rubbing alcohol. Cleanly slice the section of the leaf connected to the stem. Place the cutting in a dry space to let the incision heal.
From here, you can add rooting hormone to the cut area. This will help stimulate root growth. Finally, plant the cutting in cactus-blend soil with good drainage. Your cutting should turn into a mature rosette within a few weeks to a few months.
Growing from Pups
If your plant is growing pups, you’ll have mature rosettes in no time. Pups are tiny clones that branch off the parent plant. They grow into mature rosettes over time.
With a disinfected knife, cut the pup at the base of its stem. Plant it in cactus-blend soil and water it thoroughly. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. You should have a mature green and red rosette in no time.
Common Problems
‘Christmas Carol’ aloe is easy to grow and has few natural predators. The main things to look out for are root rot and a few common pests.
Pests
This succulent can survive most pests without needing much intervention. Healthy aloes have thick skin that’s hard for bugs to chew through.
The most dangerous threat to your plant in North America is mealybugs. If left unchecked, these tiny scale insects can wreak havoc on your plant. They can also spread to your other garden plants.
These bugs are oval-shaped and often white or gray. They cover affected areas with a sticky white substance. Fortunately, these tiny bugs are easy to remove with a cloth or cotton swab soaked in alcohol at a concentration of 70% or less. Keep wiping them off until there are no mealybugs left on your plant.
Diseases
Root rot is the most common and troublesome disease your plant can have. It’s caused by fungal growth in overwatered and soggy roots. There are a few things you can do to prevent this from ever happening.
The first step is preventing root rot from happening in the first place. Avoid overwatering and keep your succulent growing in well-drained, loose soil. This will prevent water from over-saturating the soil. Let your soil completely dry out before watering again.
If your plant is already showing signs of root rot, such as mushy, brown leaves, it probably can’t be saved. Fortunately, all you have to do is propagate it via stem cutting to get a brand-new rosette. You may lose your mature parent plant, but you can get several brand-new rosettes to supplement your holiday garden.
Frequently Asked Questions
The plant isn’t poisonous to humans, but you may get a stomach ache. It’s also very bitter. Some pets and animals may get sick if they ingest it.
Kelly Griffin hybridized several aloe varieties. He named the ones with red and green patterns ’Christmas Sleigh’ and ‘Christmas Carol’ to distinguish them.
This colorful and unique hybrid can survive up to 25°F (-4°C). Anything colder will quickly kill it.
If your leaves are mushy, it means your plant has root rot. This is a fungal infection that attacks the roots when they’ve been overwatered.
Final Thoughts
‘Christmas Carol’ aloe is a wonderful addition to indoor or outdoor spaces during the holidays. Its dark green and red coloration brings a December vibe to your home. In desert and warm regions, it’s one of the best plants to grow for adding holiday-themed colors to your yard.
Indoors, it’ll become one of your favorite winter decorations. Plant it in hanging containers near holiday plants such as poinsettias. It will brighten up the space and add a desert-like touch to your plant collection.
If you have a garden-loving friend or loved one you’re gifting for the holidays, try gifting rosettes planted in an earthenware pot. This green and red aloe will be a hit. It’s ideal for any gardener, no matter what their skill level.
