Cherokee Garden 2018

The False Aloe looks quit happy in the Cherokee Garden. Now it has lots of neighbors and it has multiplied nicely. In fact it now has so many neighboring plants that we need to thin out some of the plants.

False Aloe is a perennial that can grow to six feet tall and blooms from July to October with yellow green blooms. It grows best in dry to medium well drained soils in full sun to part shade. It is sometimes referred to as American Aloe. The base of the plant forms flat sword shaped dark green leaves. These leaves can grow up to 20 inches long and two inches wide. From the center of the plant an erect tall flower stalk will emerge with 30 tubed shaped flowers. It has a hearty set of rhizome roots which assured it returning next season.

The Cherokee used this plant to treat three different ailments. They would chew the roots to treat worms, to treat diarrhea and to treat lover problems.