Introduction:
This blog covers the Agave section of best-selling book Designing with Succulents. You'll gain a solid understanding of agaves, learn how to select and grow them successfully, and see a range of beautiful varieties in gardens and landscapes.
Sculptural Quality:
Agaves add a sculptural quality to landscapes and are useful as firebreak plants and security fences. They are native to the Americas. Large agaves can store enough moisture to survive on rainfall alone and do well in nutrient-poor soils. The scalloped patterns on an agave's leaves, known as bud imprints, are caused by spines and teeth pressing into the flesh of the inner leaves before they unfurl. Sharp points on some agaves can be hazardous; if this concerns you, trim the tips slightly to blunt them.
Thriving Power:
Most agaves thrive in full sun, except in desert areas. Like most succulents, they prefer coarse, well-draining soil. When fully mature, agaves flower. Most agaves bloom only once and then die, which can take up to 25 years depending on the variety. The flowering stalk produces mini-plants or seed capsules. Only the mother plant dies, and often, especially with the Agave americana species, it produces pups that continue the lineage. While getting free plants from pups can be appealing, larger agave species can have invasive pups that are hard to remove, so I've included varieties that don’t produce pups. They might cost a bit more initially, but they’re worth it in the long run.
Agaves are generally hardy to the mid to high twenties, but some can tolerate much lower temperatures. I’ll point out which ones are frost hardy or tender. I’ll introduce you to some of my favorite landscape agaves. While most are best planted in the ground, small agaves can be grown in pots.
Also known as century plant:
Agave americana, commonly known as the century plant, can reach 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. It’s named "century plant" because it seems to take a century to bloom, although it actually flowers in about 15 to 25 years, sooner with extra care. Even small century plants thrive with no care at all. They’re resilient to frost, intense sun, and poor soil, making them suitable for rocky slopes and large areas with minimal irrigation. Avoid planting them near driveways or sidewalks.
Farming:
Variegated forms of Agave americana, such as 'Marginata' and 'Mediopicta Alba,' are stunning. 'Marginata' grows to about eight feet tall and wide with white stripes, while 'Mediopicta Alba,' known as the tuxedo agave, reaches 3 to 4 feet tall. Agave angustifolia 'Marginata' is about 4 feet tall with long green and cream-striped leaves and is hardy to around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It forms attractive colonies but can be invasive.
Protection:
Agave attenuata, or fox tail agave, is about 5 feet tall and wide, common along the California coast, Florida, and Hawaii. It needs protection from frost and sunburn elsewhere. It has a tunk-forming growth with dense clusters of offsets and a tall, arching flower spike.
Varieties:
There are blue varieties like Agave 'Blue Flame,' which has flexible blue-green leaves with serrated edges and grows several feet in diameter. It’s a hybrid of Agave shawii and Agave attenuata. 'Blue Glow' is a small agave with leaves in green, blue, and gray margins in red. It's about 3 feet in diameter and does not produce pups.
Leaves Appearance:
Agave bovicornuta has broad, bright green leaves with prominent spines and bud imprints but does not produce pups. Agave bracteosa, also known as the green spider agave, grows to about 3 feet in diameter with long, narrow, spiny-free leaves. It’s one of the more cold-hardy agaves, tolerating temperatures down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit and prefers dappled shade.
Diameter:
Agave 'Chishum' is a cross between Agave gypsophila and Agave colorata, growing to about 3 feet in diameter. It’s not widely available but is striking. Agave 'Cornelius' is a small to medium agave with beautiful, consistent color and cold tolerance down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Agave desmetiana 'Variegata' has upright, gracefully curved leaves and blooms early compared to other agaves, around 5 years.
Filamentation:
Filamented agaves, like Agave filamentosa subspecies schidigera, have white curly filaments along their leaf margins, creating a striking backlit effect. Agave geminaflora reaches 2 to 3 feet in diameter and can display vibrant colors as it blooms.
Leaf Shape:
- Agave guiengola has broad, silvery triangular leaves and is a better choice than some larger species because it doesn’t produce pups. Agave gypsophila has curling, twisting leaves and stays around three feet in diameter, making it a lovely addition to garden beds. Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' is a small, hardy agave with dynamic colors.
- Agave nickelsiae, previously known as Agave ferdinandi-regis, has gray-green leaves with white lines and squiggly black tips. It grows to 2 feet in diameter and is hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Agave parryi, or Parry’s agave, is highly heat tolerant and among the most cold-hardy, surviving temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Agave parryi 'Truncata' has broad oval leaves and grows to 4 feet in diameter, though it’s less cold tolerant.
- Agave ovatafolia resembles Agave parryi 'Truncata' but is larger and more showy, hardy to five degrees Fahrenheit, and does not produce pups. Agave 'Sharkskin' is a tactile, medium-sized agave with thick, sandpaper-textured leaves, hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Agave shawii, native to Baja California, glows pink, orange, yellow, and red when backlit. It grows slowly to 3 feet across and produces offsets from stems lying along the ground. Agave tequilana, or tequila agave, is commonly farmed in Mexico for its striking silhouette and grows up to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It also produces pups.
- Agave victoriae-reginae, or Queen Victoria agave, is cold hardy to ten degrees Fahrenheit and has tight, artichoke-like symmetry with white-lined leaves. It grows to 18 inches in diameter and produces a tall bloom spike after about 20 years.
- Agave vilmoriniana, or octopus agave, has narrow, guttered leaves that undulate like ocean currents and is hardy to the low 20s. The yellow-striped variety, 'Stained Glass,' is particularly attractive. Agave weberi is an elegant agave with minimally serrated margins and graceful tapered leaves, growing up to six feet tall and ten feet wide. It needs afternoon shade in hot weather.
Cutting Process:
When pruning agaves, cutting them to resemble their natural tip helps maintain symmetry. A straight cut across a leaf’s midsection ruins the plant’s shape. Be cautious of the sap, which may cause an allergic reaction, and watch for the snout weevil, a pest affecting all agaves.
