Boom × 4
The large cow horn agave (Agave bovicornuta) in the front yard started to push a flower stalk last fall, but it took a long break over the winter, seemingly in suspended animation. Now that daytime temperatures have warmed up, the flowers are finally continuing their development. It won’t be long before the first flowers open up—maybe another week or ten days.
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| Agave bovicornuta |
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| Flower stalk |
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| Developing flowers |
By the time an agave starts to flower in our garden, I’m usually ready to try something new—a different agave species or something else entirely. This time it’s a little different, because Agave bovicornuta really is one of my favorite species. Look at it: the apple green leaves with cinnamon-colored hooked spines, and the pronounced bud imprints!
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| Leaf detail |
Agave bovicornuta is a solitary species so there won’t be offsets; propagation by seed or tissue culture is the only way to get more. But I do have a variegated form of Agave bovicornuta that’s been waiting in the wings for a few years. I’ll plant it in the same spot as soon as this one is done blooming.
Until last week, Agave bovicornuta was the only agave in our garden getting ready to flower. Last Friday, I noticed that another stalwart in the front yard, a cross between Agave shrevei var. matapensis and Agave guadalajarana originally made by Brian Kemble at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, had decided to join in the fun. In the four days since I first photographed it, the inflorescence has doubled in height. At this rate, I expect flowers in a month.
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| Agave shrevei var. matapensis × Agave guadalajarana April 14, 2023 (left), April 18, 2023 (right) |
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| Agave shrevei var. matapensis × Agave guadalajarana flower stalk detail |
In addition to the two agaves above, we have two mangaves that are getting ready to flower. The first one is Mangave ‘Black Magic’. It’s one the darkest varieties yet; even the flowers stalk and the emerging flowers are dark purple.
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| Mangave ‘Black Magic’ |
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| Mangave ‘Black Magic’ |
The other one is Mangave ‘Espresso’, a white-margined sport of ‘Macho Mocha’. I noticed the inflorescence just the other day, and it seems to be making fast progress.
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| Mangave ‘Espresso’ |
The two agaves are approaching the end of their lives. They’re putting literally all of their energy into their massive flower stalks and will then wither away. Talk about going out in a blaze of glory!
With mangaves, it’s less clear whether they will die after flowering or not. Some people say yes, others say no. My own experience is a bit muddled because I typically remove the flowering rosette instead of waiting to see whether it will live or not. My hunch is that the rosette that flowers does die, but fast-growing offsets “absorb” the desiccating carcass so within a few months, it looks like it was never even there. This time I will leave the flowering mangaves in place and observe what happens.
Having two agaves and two closely-related mangaves in flower at the same time is a great opportunity to make some hybrids of my own. I have visions of a cross between Agave bovicornuta and Mangave ‘Black Magic’ that has the general look of Agave bovicornuta, but smaller and with purplish leaves. How likely is that to happen? Probably not very, but I want to give it a shot.
© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
WOW ! Exciting, beautiful and a little bit sad - all at the same time !
ReplyDeleteAgreed. All of these things.
DeleteThe effort to hybridize your own Mangaves will be interesting, Gerhard. I've currently got 3 Agaves with blooms stalks, which are also getting down to business now that temperatures have warmed up some: 'Blue Glow', 'Multicolor' and A. vilmoriniana. As I've never had so many take off at once, I'm attributing this to the heavier-than-usual rain. My Mangave 'Bloodspot' has yet another bloom spike, which I think is its third within 2 years. It's produced a lot of pups too and hasn't really lost its shape. In contrast, I wasn't happy with Mangave 'Silver Fox' after it bloomed and replaced it.
ReplyDeleteYou have lots going on. 'Multicolor' and vilmoriniana make bulbils as a matter of course, 'Blue Glow' does sometimes, so you'll be swimming in new baby agaves!
DeleteGood to hear that your 'Bloodspot' hasn't died. I had one bloom and it did die, with no pups. Go figure.
I just bought a new Mangave called 'Night Owl' and it is really really dark. It only grows to 16" and 8" high. It grows best in containers. Of course the label says "full sun" but I can not do that here. I have a few Mangaves that have flowered and all have continued to live but, as you said, the original plant "disappears" in the leaves.
ReplyDelete'Night Owl' is one of my favorite mangaves. Great color (dark!!) and shape as well. Mine is in the ground in full sun, but summers in Phoenix are much harsher on plants.
DeleteI'd love to see a photo of Night Owl in your garden!
DeleteHere's a photo of 'Night Owl' (in front of 'Pineapple Express'): [link]
DeleteThat’s bigger and lighter in color than I expected. Thanks!
DeleteBoom or bloom? I will be one of the first in line to buy your cross, it sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI guess I should have titled this post "B(l)oom × 4."
DeleteI may have to borrow our neighbor's extra tall step ladder to get to the bovicornuta flowers. They're way above my head.
The colors of the Agave shrevei var. matapensis × Agave guadalajarana is stunning, including the bloom stalk. Wow! I'd be going outside every hour to check on the growth, lol.
ReplyDelete*are, not is. :(
DeleteBoth of your blooming agaves are gorgeous specimens and will be painful to lose.
ReplyDeleteSince there isn't much choice in the matter, the excitement of growing something from seed, potentially a new hybrid you get to name (!), will help ease the sadness.
Chavli
I never know what to do with all the seedlings, but that doesn't keep me from starting more things from seed :-)
DeleteI never think of them as dying but as renewing themselves, like a Phoenix. One 'Joe Hoak' purchased quite a few years ago is now many. Several different Agaves going up here--food for nectar feeders and bees. They give to others as they renew themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteGood point, "renewing themselves." That's what it is.
DeleteSad but exciting at the same time. Will be interesting to see what your cross pollinating experiment produces though it will be some time before you will see results. You can almost hear the agave "enough, too hot, too cold, too wet, I'm done".
ReplyDeleteI need to borrow a tall (12-14 ft.) step ladder to get to the Agave bovicornuta flowers!
DeleteAll of the mangaves I've grown pup like crazy after blooming, except for 'Bloodspot' (which produced bulbils), so you can expect your plants to keep on going, Unfortunately I don't think they look as attractive as solitary specimens, but it's really hard to detach the pups to thin the clump down. Sue
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'll try to observe better and record what I learn.
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