This is a companion piece to my previous post, Other people’s aloes. As the title suggests, it’s about agaves, specifically about agaves I saw in other people’s gardens on my outing last Saturday.
At this time of year, aloes take center stage with their colorful flowers. They are the divas of the winter garden, and who can blame them for showing off. But, like a flash in the pan, the blooms will soon be gone, and we’ll be left with just the leaves – which, let’s face it, are often less exciting.
Agaves, on the other hand, are like diamonds – they’re forever. Forever beautiful. And forever my favorite type of succulent. That’s why I took photos of the agaves I saw on Saturday. I don’t think I could not, even if I tried.
At Waltzing Matilija Nursery:
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| Agave victoriae-reginae, in front of the coolest prickly pear I know, Opuntia sulphurea |
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| Agave ‘Blue Glow’, about as perfect as it gets |
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| Agave ovatifolia ‘Vanzie’, so much cleaner than mine because there are no trees or shrubs around whose litter invariably ends up inside the massive cupped leaves. Also notice the large Agave montana in the back (left). |
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| Agave × arizonica, a naturally occurring hybrid between Agave toumeyana var. bella and Agave chrysantha. This small agave (only 6-8 inches in diameter) is criminally underrepresented in gardens. |
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| Agave shawii becoming quite a nice clump |
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| Agave shawii |
In John’s garden:
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| Agave ‘Blue Ember’, a hybrid of unknown origin similar to ‘Blue Glow’ but possibly with even stiffer leaves |
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| Agave parrasana with a comically fat and short flower stalk (for scale, Kyle is 6’4" tall). Typically, the flower stalk of A. parrasana emerges in (late) summer, pauses mid-way for the winter, then completes its growth in late spring, culminating in a multi-week flower display in the summer. |
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| Agave ovatifolia, probably the species vs. the cultivar ‘Vanzie’ in Justin’s garden. The leaves are narrower and less cupped. |
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| Not an agave per se, but I can never resist the siren song of ×Mangave ‘Lavender Lady’ |
While I wasn’t actively looking for agaves, I found them anyway. Proof that no matter where you go, there’s always an agave or two.
© Gerhard Bock, 2024. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
If you look heard enough...(there's always an agave if...). So good, all of them! Sadly seeing that Agave victoriae-reginae reminds me of bad news I spotted yesterday. In a recent post I called my A. victoriae-reginae a winner from the last storm. Nope, I was too early. It's starting to rot. As for Agave shawii I love those spines so much. I wish this one was a touch hardier...
ReplyDeleteNOOOOO, I had fully expected your v-r to make it. I suspect it might have pulled through if the soil had been dry.
DeleteThat Agave x arizonica is very attractive, especially the way it spills over the rock. All 3 of my own Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' came from Annie's ;) As I think about my still-pending renovation of the succulent bed in front of our garage, I've been going back and forth between focusing the new planting plan on Agaves versus Aloes. I love the sculptural appearance of agaves but last October's experience with "agave edema" when the tree trimmers cut back the Arbutus overhead has me feeling wary of risking that again (even though I've kept the photos on my phone to share with them the next time). And then there's my love of flowers arguing for more aloes...
ReplyDeleteAgaves vs. aloes, that's my constant internal battle as well. That's why I grow both, pretty much 50:50.
DeleteBut I admit, aloe flowers in the winter, that's special. And it happens every year...
I have a small potted Agave toumeyana that spent the ice storm in an unheated shed, so I immediately checked the zone on that fetching Agave x arizonica. Lots of conflicting info, so I think I'll have to pass. I don't think I've seen such nice examples of A. shawii -- like you say, litter-free agaves are a wonderful sight.
ReplyDeleteIf you can grow toumeyana, I'm fairly certain you can grow arizonica as well. Shawii, OTOH, is a wimpy thing when it comes to cold temps.
DeleteI have 'Blue Ember'--its a real beauty. Maybe some nickelsiae in it?
ReplyDeleteBut...Aloes are beautiful, too!
There's been lots of discussions online about 'Blue Ember' vs. 'Blue Emperor'. Not much has come of it because the parentage of 'Blue Ember' is still unknown. I have a 'Blue Ember' waiting in the wings to replace my 'Blue Glow' after it's bloomed (soonish, I expect).
DeleteAs gorgeous as they are in color and form, agaves' 'foreverness' is limited: once they bloom, it's (usually) all over. Whenever I read about a blooming Agave, my heart saddens. If I ever lived in a warm climate again, it would be the a critical consideration for picking aloes over agaves.
ReplyDeleteChavli
Very true. I've heard that landscape designers who previously used a lot of agaves are switching to aloes, esp. those who mass-planted 'Blue Glow' 5-7 years ago. Those 'Blue Glow' have bloomed and need to be replaced.
DeleteOh, his 'Vanzie' is pristine. The blue ember and shawii are both beautiful. Gorgeous agaves!
ReplyDeleteAlmost makes me wish I had a garden with NO trees so NO debris would fall into my agaves and aloes :-)
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