Aloe 'Big Mac' - A large shrubby aloe to 4 to 5 feet tall and wide with 18-inch-wide rosettes of pale spotted dull green leaves that are often suffused with maroon tones and spring dark red flowers that rise up well above the leaves on a stout few branched inflorescence.
Plant in full sun to light shade with occasional to infrequent summer watering. Hardy to at least 25° F. A very nice bulky aloe that makes and attractive barrier plant or specimen where a solid attractive plant is needed.
Aloe 'Big Mac' has been found growing around Santa Barbara since the 1990s (maybe longer), but nobody seemed to have a name for it or know of its origins. From its looks we guess it to be something like a cross between Aloe arborescens and Aloe maculata and after just calling it "that big maculate aloe" for many years we were convinced that we needed a name to call it, so asked for suggestions. Jeff Chemnick of Aloes in Wonderland suggested the name Aloe 'Big Mac', and we thought it a great name for this large plant that obviously had some Aloe maculata in its parentage, and this name has since stuck. We thank Jeff for his suggested name and also longtime Santa Barbara gardener Bruno Bardini for first bringing this plant to our attention in the 1990s. A plant Bruno gave us back then that was planted in our garden has repeatedly been asked about it and after naming it 'Big Mac' we have sold in our nursery since 2014.
This information about Aloe 'Big Mac' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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