We aren't like southern California here, it hardly ever gets up into the 80'sF for days at a time, when we do have a heat wave, it usually only lasts for 3 or 4 days at a time. Let's not forget that we have cool summer nights here as well, which is probably the key factor that makes our local climate more similar to high elevation Lesotho climate in summer. Worrying about too much heat just isn't an issue in the gardens where I am planting these, so I don't sweat the details besides planting them at an angle rather than facing straight up. I don't think it would make a difference one way or another if these Aloes were not surrounded by other plants, it doesn't get hot enough here to stress them. It just seems like places like Berkeley/Oakland/San Francisco/Santa Cruz are perfect temperature climates for these to grow very easily. Not all of the SF Bay Area is as perfect a climate for Aloe polyphylla. Friends who try and grow them in areas such as Walnut Creek or Atherton need to plant them out of full sun, because they do die from too much heat there.

We don't have an island hood so honestly I have no clue whether the stores we looked at had any, but the two that had the best selection of wall hoods on the floor were Airport Appliance (multiple locations, including one in Redwood City I think---we went to the Hayward one) and Pacific Sales (went to the Emeryville/Oakland location, but I think they have others in the area). Might be worth calling them if you haven't already been there to see what they have on display and if either is worth a trip. We didn't buy anything from either in the end (both have lukewarm service reputations) but they were great for shopping. I think Gourmet Appliance Outlet in Oakland also had at least a couple of island hoods on the floor when we were there last, but their inventory is less predictable and they carry a more limited set of brands, mostly higher end (though they do have a website that lists some of what they have). HTH!

You might also check Angie's List for local recommendations. When we moved last fall to a place where we didn't really know anyone, I signed us up for Angie's List to get the scoop on inspectors, arborists, handyman workers, etc. Here is a link that might be useful: Angie's List

What are they yellow tagged as? I saw many tagged as Gene Boerner and I dug a bit, but no DA tags. I also saw one yellow tagged (can't remember the name) but it had another white tag reading Waiheke. You can tell the picture doesnt match the rose. I started feelin weird so I left. I would love to run into a Scepter d'Isle, Eglantyne or a JTO, though!