Ponytail palm bed makeover

Not every garden project has to be a major undertaking. In fact, most are small, completed quickly, but with immediate impact.

This post is a good example.

The area I’m talking about is next to the front door, so we walk by it multiple times a day. I’ve been low-grade dissatisfied with it for some time, but I didn’t have any specific plans. I don’t know what possessed me, but earlier this week, I decided to rip out the two out-of-control clumps at the base of the largest of our three ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata): Oscularia caulescens (top) and Aloe × spinosissima (bottom). The Hechtia argentea on the right is one of my favorites, and it won’t go anywhere.

Oscularia caulescens (top) and Aloe × spinosissima (bottom) at the base of the largest of our three ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata)

A slightly different angle:

A closer view:

Ground-level view:

For comparison, this what this spot looked like in March 2022:

March 2022

In the 4½ years since the photo above was taken, the caudex (base) of the ponytail palm has grown significantly, essentially pushing the plants in front of it off the mound into the walkway. At the same time, its expanding roots having been sucking up water and nutrients that previously had been available to the oscularia and the aloe.

I toyed with the idea of simply thinning out what was there, but I quickly realized the best (and most sensible) way to move forward was to rip everything out and start over. So that’s what I did:

This spot didn’t have a rock border, unlike most beds in the front yard, so the first step was to get more rocks and then shuffle them around until I had something I was happy with. The next step was replanting. When I started out, I assumed I would simply stick cuttings of Oscularia caulescens and Aloe × spinosissima in the soil (I had added two 5-gallon buckets of high-quality garden mix). But why cling to the status quo when you can do something different?

Here’s a wide-angle shot of the redone bed, with the three ponytail palms towering over it:

Left to right: Aloe betsileensis, Ananas ‘Mila’ (red leaves), Sedum ‘Firestorm’, Aechmea recurvata, Aloe ‘AJR’ (moved from all the way on the left, below Aloe betsileensis).

This is a small area, so there was only room for a few plants: Aloe betsileensis (left; same spot as before), ‘Mila’ dwarf pineapple (Ananas ‘Mila’), Sedum ‘Firestorm’ and Aloe dorotheae (both left in place), Aechmea recurvata, Aloe ‘AJR’ (right). I’m particularly excited about ‘Mila’. It’s a compact pineapple hybrid with deep red foliage that can take full sun and is remarkably drought-tolerant. And it’s hardy down to zone 8b (10°F). It may even fruit.

‘Mila’ pineapple in the front

Aloe ‘AJR’ used to be the all the way on the left (see photos above). Now it’s on the right, next to Aechmea recurvata — a much better spot with deeper soil. Aloe ‘AJR’ is a Kelly Griffin hybrid available from Altman Plants, the grower that produces the small succulents you see near the garden center entrance at virtually all Home Depot and Lowe’s stores.

Aloe ‘AJR’ on the right

The next photo might shock you. It was taken on March 17, 2009, the day after I planted the three ponytail palms from a two-gallon pot. So much has changed — in fact, everything is different now except for the ponytail palms.

Ponytail palms on March 17, 2009, the day after I planted them

For comparison, a few wider shots showing the bed today. The overhauled area is on the left, at the base of the largest ponytail palm.

Sometimes, when I look at older photos, it turns out that I like what was there before better than what is there now. Not in this case. The current iteration of this bed is the best it’s ever been. And that’s a deeply satisfying feeling.

© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.