Agave

These are beautiful round, clustering Agaves with narrow, rigid powder-blue leaves that are well armed with sharp black teeth and a short formidable jet-black terminal spine. Their natural habitat is open scrub-land of mixed desert shrubs, thorny small trees, and plenty of ephemeral wildflowers. This is why these plants are so well suited for virtually any residential or commercial landscape. They are perfectly at home in well-drained soils, with periodic irrigation, blended with almost any other native or drought adaptive plants. Low maintenance, small and dramatic

These are squatty, wide green leafed, rounded Agaves with distinctive and prominent upward and downward curved sharp marginal teeth and a sharp 1 in. long terminal spine. They are solitary plants that grow in habitat from scrubby foothills up to higher mountainous mixed pine forests of the Sierra Madre Oriental, hence, their common name. Depending on their provenance, some Mountain Agaves can tolerate low temperatures in the single digits, but we conservatively recommend them for USDA zone 8 and warmer. As with other Chihuahuan Agaves, these plants will benefit from being planted in morning sun to filtered mid-day sun, with little to no late afternoon sun in low desert gardens. In upland or coastal locations they do well with full sun and minimal, but regular summer watering. Their adaptability, cold hardiness, attractive bud imprints and symmetrical shape make them a wise choice for many landscape designs

Murphy’s Agave is a handsome dark blue-green color with narrow, strap-like vertical straight to slightly curved leaves with numerous but small marginal teeth and a short terminal spine. These are clump forming plants with some capable of producing many offsets. They are tough, and adaptable to many garden situations blending in well with native or desert adapted shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses or virtually any other tropical or desert accent plants. Individual, immature plants have a symmetrically rounded natural shape.

Whale’s Tongue is a big, bold Agave with bright powder blue leaves. They form wide, deeply guttered leaves that often exhibit some wavy, linear undulations which are quite unique and dramatic. These are highly desirable, solitary landscape plants that are durable, tolerant of many exposures with good cold tolerance. They grow slowly, but designers should take note that the modest sized plants they find in nursery containers will eventually reach fairly massive proportions, so give them the space they need. Provide good drainage, and supplemental summer water.

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.