Agave

These Agaves are slate gray in color forming tight, upright rosettes of wide spatulate shaped leaves armed with sharp, often wildly curved, light gray teeth along the margins ending in a gray to brown, 1.5-2 in. terminal spine. Their impressive and interesting teeth often leave mesmerizing bud imprints on leaf surfaces. They are mostly solitary plants with pups developing as older plants start reaching maturity to send up their eventual flower stalk. When they begin blooming, stout vertical stalks appear that look like giant asparagus spears. These will start growing in late summer to fall growing several feet high then stop. These head-high thick stalks exist until they finish their bloom cycle during the next summer where clusters of reddish purple buds give way to golden yellow flowers on top of widely branched bloom stalks that eventually reach 10 ft. or more in height. These cold hardy agaves naturally occupy high chaparral communities in desert scrub around 5000 ft., into mixed oak and pine forests up to 8000 ft. elevation.

In the same way people think spiny hedgehogs are cute, these NM Agaves are the epitome of spiky cuteness. These Agaves have a distinctive powder blue color, which is clearly a drought resistant tactic, and they have sharp protruding curved marginal teeth leading up the sides of each leaf culminating in a majestic, 2 in. long jet-black colored terminal spine. They are smaller than most other A. parryi types, only growing about 2 ft. tall and they are typically wider than they are tall. These are some of the most naturally cold hardy agaves available. The center of diversity for Agaves is in the middle of Mexico. This Agave occurs naturally at the furthest northeastern range of that area in oak pinyon/juniper habitats up to about 7000 ft., from where it gets its common name. In low desert landscapes they blend well with other accent plants, under desert legume trees or with desert willows, especially when they are planted amongst ornamental shrubs, grasses or perennials.

Many consider them the queen of Agaves, at least for practical landscape applications. They are small to medium sized, mostly solitary, with bright powder-blue color, short sharp marginal teeth with wide truncated leaves that end in a dark black terminal spine, often with a sexy curve. They are durable, widely adaptable with good natural cold hardiness and thanks to the advent of tissue culture propagation, these plants are extremely uniform, which makes them attractive for modern minimalistic geometric planting patterns. They prefer full sun, but will tolerate filtered or partial sun with well-drained soil.

In the same way people think spiny hedgehogs are cute, these NM Agaves are the epitome of spiky cuteness. These Agaves have a distinctive powder blue color, which is clearly a drought resistant tactic, and they have sharp protruding curved marginal teeth leading up the sides of each leaf culminating in a majestic, 2 in. long jet-black colored terminal spine. They are smaller than most other A. parryi types, only growing about 2 ft. tall and they are typically wider than they are tall. These are some of the most naturally cold hardy agaves available. The center of diversity for Agaves is in the middle of Mexico. This Agave occurs naturally at the furthest northeastern range of that area in oak pinyon/juniper habitats up to about 7000 ft., from where it gets its common name. In low desert landscapes they blend well with other accent plants, under desert legume trees or with desert willows, especially when they are planted amongst ornamental shrubs, grasses or perennials.

This charming dwarf Agave was originally produced from tissue culture in California. Its lovely coloring and compact, symmetrical form make it highly desirable.  Thick chunky leaves are soft blue/grey with orange/red marginal teeth and dark red terminal spines. Each leaf will show a distinctly patterned imprint, giving even more visual drama to this specimen. Growing equally well in full sun to part shade, this dwarf blue agave is great for small gardens or container gardens. Plant in well-draining soil and water occasionally once established. In times of drought, water regularly. Enjoy the mystical presence of ‘Dragon Toes’ in a succulent garden where the sharp spines are out of reach from people and pets.

These are big, bold, green Agaves. They are common in central Mexico in scrub desert grassland habitats, mixed with oak and junipers. Mostly solitary plants, they can form widely spaced colonies giving the appearance someone had designed them into the landscape. Long leaves are dark to bright green color as mentioned, which makes them stand out from so many other large blue leaves Agaves. The leaves are guttered, with large marginal teeth and a short, sharp terminal spine. Due to their wide distribution and centuries of human cultivation in Mexico, many named selections exist of these big beauties. Plant them with other large desert shrubs, grassy accent plants, or use a few for solitary specimens with dramatic up-lighting. A. salmiana v. ferox is known for more pronounced mammilate marginal teeth, but with all other similar traits.

These Agaves have spread to tropical countries across the world as a popular fiber commodity. They occur naturally in southern Mexico where they live free from frost and get ample natural rainfall. These are large sized plants with distinctive narrow, straight lance-shaped leaves typically dark green to deep gray-green with short, sharp terminal spine and tiny serrated marginal teeth. These are free suckering plants with one larger mother plant with numerous pups of various sizes around her base. Bloom stalks are impressively tall at 15-20 ft. tall with widely spaced branched clustered blooms. They tolerate heat with no issues, they require good drainage and will be happiest with regular supplemental irrigation, especially during warmer months of the year. Give them space to grow and spread, but they pair well with any desert trees or other large-scale cacti or accent plants.

This Agave that hales from Oaxaca, Mexico is easily identified by its light blue-green leaf color and wide, white to brownish marginal teeth that often resemble the mouth of an angry shark. These teeth produce picturesque bud imprints on the leaf surfaces. They are smallish plants and solitary, making them good candidates for container culture or used as unassuming focal point specimens. Good drainage is a must and protection from hard frosts during winter is advisable. Many named selections exist in the Agave collector trade, including ‘White Ice’, which has a more powdery blue color with black terminal spines and strong tooth imprints on the back leaf surface. ‘Black & Blue’ is a smaller, dramatic version with blue-green tightly formed rosettes, and leaf margins with wide, sharp stunningly curved black teeth. And Agave titanota ‘fo76’, (syn. Agave sp. ‘Sierra Mixteca FO-076’) which is a specimen plant reportedly collected from Rancho Rio Tambor, that has green, short squatty leaves with ghostly white large marginal teeth.

These Chihuahuan desert native agaves form distinctive, tight ball-shaped rosettes with short, thick, and rigid triangular toothless leaves of dark green with white bud imprint on upper and lower leaf surfaces. They look like an artichoke. Each leaf does have a short, sharp terminal spine, but they are mostly smooth as Agaves goes. They are slow growing but dependable in well-drained soils for full sun to part sun locations. They work well in containers, planted in masses, or simply mixed with other desert accents or perennials.