Aloe vera, the windowsill first-aid plant

A succulent that stores its own water and asks for almost nothing in return — the classic starter plant for anyone who has killed everything else.

Aloe barbadensis millerNorth Africa and the Arabian PeninsulaPublished 21 Sept 2026

Aloe vera is a stemless succulent that grows in thick rosettes of fleshy, serrated leaves. Each leaf is a water tank: the plant evolved in dry, rocky ground and survives by hoarding moisture, which is exactly why it forgives the person who forgets to water it.

Give it the brightest windowsill you have and a gritty, free-draining compost — a cactus mix, or ordinary compost cut with a third of sharp sand or perlite. Water only when the top few centimetres are bone dry, then let it drain completely. Far more aloes die from a soggy pot than from neglect; sitting in water rots the base.

The clear gel inside a cut leaf has a long history of use on minor burns and grazes, but the yellow sap just under the skin is an irritant, so it is rinsed away first. A healthy plant throws off small offsets — "pups" — around its base, which can be lifted with a few roots and potted on to start another plant for free.