Rudi and I could not agree what aloe to plant where so we divided the garden with each one doing what he or she pleases on that part of the garden. That does not mean that any one of us keeps out of the other one's territory when he/she is not looking.
The two different sides give an interesting display but it is a far cry from landscaping. It is closer to an "untouched by human hands" wilderness than any landscaper would be able to design.
Photo above My garden.
Photo below Rudi's garden
The garden needs very little upkeep other than weeding in the rain season - which is winter for the Western Cape. First thing is to keep the garden tidy. There is no choice but to pull out weeds by hand amongst the aloes. That is very tricky, those teeth are sharp and gloves just get hooked and torn. My hands look like a war-zone during the rain season, but at least then I have an excuse for how they look.
Empty looking spots can be filled quickly with some stones creating an interesting pattern and some aloes sent out too many shoots in the rain season which fill spaces quickly. That is one very convenient thing about aloes. They transplant easy, no matter size, and being succulent they do not wilt and show that they have been transplanted in a hurry to impress a guest.
Nothing like a few stones or a large withered tree trunk, to give a succulent garden a face-lift. Our grand daughter painted a snake on one of the stones and hid it partially under an aloe. oohh I am so proud of that snake. Not to mention the clean garden paths that are now visible leading off to some aloe wilderness.
