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.

Slightly smaller than its American cousin, Mediopicta ‘Aurea’ forms striking rosettes of thick, spiny-edged, gray-green leaves with a bright yellow central stripe. This performer loves full sun, but will tolerate light shade. There size and dramatic color combination makes them good candidates for containers and as focal accent plants. Hot, intense western sun can lead to leaf scald and bleaching of the yellow stripe pigments, so acclimate young or new plants to avoid potential damage. Moderate to slow growing.

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.

The Fox Tail Agave has a unique softness thanks to its lack of teeth and terminal spines. They produce ample rosettes of wide luscious, velvety-looking, pale green leaves. ‘Variegata’ has yellow margins to striped green & yellow patterned leaves. These are colonizing agaves, that grow naturally in large groups. They are native to pine forest habitats on some rocky volcanic mountains of southern coastal Mexico from 6000 to 8000 ft. These are one of the most common garden Agaves in frost-free areas of southern CA. In the low desert they will not tolerate full sun. They must have shade to part shade, well-drained soils with occasional watering through the growing season. They produce a dramatic and tall greenish-yellow flower that arches down to the ground then back up like a Fox Tail.

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.

Evergreen, rosette forming Agave with gun-metal gray, wide spoon-shaped leaves armed with large mammillate marginal teeth. Leaf surfaces have a distinctively rough texture, often with some horizontal banding, but always with an interesting and dramatic tooth impression. They can and will offset some but the pups remain close to the base of the mother plant. These Agaves are particularly well suited to our xeric landscapes since they are native to thorny woodland habitats of Sonora, Mexico. As they mature, the mother plant has the peculiar habit of listing over to one side, perhaps they have evolved to allow the pups to not become over-crowded and allow them more sun. Whatever the reason, this is normal and they do not require staking or propping up as I have often witnessed. These fantastically dramatic Agaves are sadly underutilized in urban landscapes.

This tough and hardy agave is found naturally in the rocky slopes and hillsides of Sonora, Mexico. Today, it’s found anywhere designers want to make a statement with a reliable, medium-sized agave. The extremely cold and drought tolerant colorata forms a stunning solitary rosette that can grow up to 4 feet in diameter, with leaves ranging from 18 to 24 inches in length. The rosette is densely packed with blue-gray to silvery-blue leaves that have a striking powdery coating. The leaves’ edges are adorned with small, sharp teeth, providing a unique textural contrast to the smooth surface of the foliage. At the ends are a stiff, sharp point. Plant en masse for a sea of cool color or nestle between and around warm-colored boulders and bright green grasses for full color impact in your xeriscape garden.