Plant in full sun or light shade - even grows well in deep shade where it is a bit greener, more prostrate and does not flower. This hardy aloe requires only occasional to very infrequent irrigation in Southern California and even grows well in full sun in desert heat. It has proven hardy to around 20° F. It is great for mass plantings as a succulent groundcover, as a potted specimen or spotted into the rock or succulent garden and is an excellent plant for attracting hummingbirds.

This great long-blooming aloe hybrid may have been one of Edward C. Hummel's hybrids and is thought by some to have Aloe humilis as one parent, but it is not the same as the A. humilis hybrid called 'Ed Hummel' which is smaller and has spines on the upper and lower leaf faces. Aloe 'Blue Elf' has also been marketed as "California Aloe" and "Blue Boy" (not to be confused with the Kelly Griffin hybrid by the same name) and is one of our most popular landscape aloes. There also is another aloe circulating in California nurseries that goes by the name Aloe 'California' that is very similar but is a taller more robust plant and it is our belief that these two aloes are confused in the trade. We have Aloe 'California' in our garden but do not sell it as we think 'Blue Elf', which we have offered since 2005, the superior plant. 

The information displayed on this page about Aloe 'Blue Elf' is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.