Agave

An iconic classic. Its common name is derived from how long they were thought to live before blooming, although a century is an exaggeration. Sizable teeth along the leaf margins and sharp terminal spine adorn wide blue-green to gray-green strongly vertical leaves. They are low maintenance and have low water requirements. In their advanced age they are prone to suckering, with many baby off-shoots forming from the roots. Significant off-shooting can also occur due to stress conditions such as prolonged drought which can be avoided, but this also happens when the mother plant transitions from its vegetative state to reproductive state to bloom. Give these majestic beauties some space to grow and become a deserving focal point.

Like their pure blue cousin, these agaves have wide leaves armed with sharp marginal spines, but these are richly variegated with vertical stripes of bright yellow to golden color along the leaf edges, with gray green to blue-green center stripe. In time, these slow to moderate growers can produce leaves up to 10 ft. long with sexy curves and twists, but most of their youth is spent as well-behaved, rigidly upright vase-shaped accent plants of 3 to 6 ft. high & wide. They are very drought tolerant and require minimal maintenance.

The common name refers to its distinctive creamy white, mid-leaf stripe which is surrounded by a luscious blue-gray color. Medium to small, sharp recurved teeth run up its edges ending in a black terminal spine. These are moderate to slow growing Agaves that grow to a very manageable size. With their size, form and dramatic color pattern, these are deemed some of the most desirable Agaves for containers, raised beds and entryway accent plants. Acclimate young or new plants to western exposures to prevent damaging sun scald on the white center stripes. Low to moderate water during summer months will keep plants looking fresh, little to no water is needed from fall through spring.

This tropical appearing Agave forms a symmetrically round shape that is attractive in mass plantings. The variety ‘Marginata’ refers to the bright white edges or margins of its leaves that surround a blue-green center stripe. The narrow, straight strap-like leaves contain small, recurved teeth along its margins and do have a short, sharp terminal spine They perform well in filtered sun or part shade mixed with other green leafed tropical plants such as Cannas, Hibiscus, or Tropical Bird of Paradise. They will tolerate more water during the growing season, as long as the soil is well-drained. Mature bloom stalks can occasionally produce flowers, but this species is known for producing branched flower stalks filled with clusters of bulbils or immature agave offsets. The mother plant dies after flowering but these bulbils and copious numbers of root offshoots perpetuate their existence in the landscape. Simply remove the deceased mother plant as the bloom stalk fades.

These sparsely leafed, unarmed Agaves with slender, light green curling and recurved leaves that form from a small clumping rosette are aptly referred to as Squid Agave. This is a perfect description of how they appear on the ground with their mounding and slowly spreading habit. These Agaves are reliably polycarpic, which means even though the mother plant flowers only once in a lifetime, the mother plant will persist, and not die off as most Agaves do being monocarpic. However, with time they do produce dozens of offsets or babies to create a colony of multiple ground hugging plants. They are native to the northern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental up to nearly 6000 ft., which is why these tropical, cephalopod-looking Agaves have evolved with better than average cold tolerance. They will tolerate full sun in coastal California gardens but perform best in part shade to filtered sun in low desert landscapes. They will accept and appreciate some extra water during the summer months but only if they have well-drained soil.

These are upright, vase to urn-shaped Agaves with mostly smooth leaf edges and sexy, recurving sword-shaped leaves. They are green to glaucous color with a short, somewhat sharp terminal spine. These are coastal, tropical Agaves suitable as stand-alone xeric landscape features, but they blend and accent other tropical looking plants like Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Canna lilies, and Tecoma sp. They can acclimate to full sun, but perform quite well in some shade or filtered light. Low maintenance and adaptability to many different design models makes them some of the easiest choices for designers.

These are upright, vase to urn-shaped Agaves with virtually toothless leaf edges with sexy curving sword-shaped leaves. This desirable selection has green leaves with a ribbon of gold along their margins.  These are coastal, tropical Agaves suitable as stand-alone xeric landscape features, but they blend and accent other tropical looking plants like Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Canna lilies, and Tecoma sp. They can acclimate to full sun, but perform quite well in some shade or filtered light. Low maintenance and adaptability to many different design models makes them some of the easiest choices for designers.

Often mentioned as “the King of Agaves”, these elegant plants form short, round tight rosettes of green and white. The leaves are triangular or more precisely, deltoid in shape, wide at their base, tapering to a short, black terminal spine, but the leaf edges are smooth and white in color. It is these leaf margins that leave the distinctive white, linear crisscrossed bud imprints on leaf surfaces, looking as though a yeoman actually painted each leaf by hand for the king himself. These Agaves are related to the Queen Victoria Agave and many variations exist, but with the onset and technology of tissue cultured clones we can all expect the finest selections will prevail. Despite their noble appearances, these are tough, and durable plants. They perform very well in filtered light but they will tolerate full sun, with some acclimation to hottest western exposures. Provide them with well-drained soils, as with other Agaves.

These Agaves have it all! Narrow 3/4 – 1.5 in. wide, lance-shaped green leaves about 1 ft. long, are gently curved to form an artichoke-like rosette with propensity to form clumps of several offsets up to 3-4ft. across. The smooth, toothless margins shred or tear off to create a hairy appearance that stands out from any amount of back-lighting, and they have white strips that form decorative crossing bud imprints on the leaf surfaces. They do have a short but sharp terminal spine, which makes them a bit ferocious, despite their fuzzy animal-like look. They are tolerant of full or part sun, alkaline soils and of course drought conditions. They are native to sky island, pine-forested habitats of central Mexico, which provides a good amount of cold hardiness.