|
|
Mail Order Catalog | Home
| Back
|
If you like Agaves but don't like spines, this is the species for you. 3' wide rosettes of soft, fleshy green leaves look only distantly Agave-like. In total effect it looks sort of like the frost-tender Octopus Agave (A. vilmoriana) in miniature. It is usually solitary, but I have occasionally observed it forming offsets. Although it is found in hot, dry areas in the wild, it is quite happy in cultivation with some moisture and protection from the hot sun. Too much shade, though, and it won't do well in cold, wet winters. Use it in a container or near a water feature. Once established, it can go as low as 15°F, or even as low as 5°F in climates with dry winters.
|
Discovered only a few years ago high in Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental, this fabulous large Agave is still just making its way into cultivation and remains rare. The large, toothy green leaves create white impressions in the surrounding leaves as they expand. Over time it can be expected to make a large globe to perhaps 5' wide of rather compact habit. In the wild, it grows in open pine forests as high as 10,000', where it is subjected to heavy frosts and snow. Thus, it is excellently suited to the climate of western Washington, provided drainage is adequate, and it can even tolerate partial shade. In eastern Washington, it easily survives 0°F but is very unhappy about hot, dry summers without irrigation. If all that weren't enough, it is the only Agave native to Montana! Everyone in Wyoming is so jealous. Not really.
|
Agave parryi var. huachucensis |
$10 |
This form of Agave parryi from the Huachuca Mountains of southern Arizona differs from the typical form in being larger overall, reaching 4' across with many more leaves per rosette. It often has a more dusky blue-grey color than the typical form. Unfortunately it's not quite as cold hardy, reaching its lower limit in the neighborhood of 5°F.
|
A Yucca even your madre would love. Closely related to Y. schottii, but originating in the spectacular mountains surrounding Barranca del Cobre National Park, Mexico, this species ire relatively new on the scene: until very recently, this Yucca has been nearly unavailable in US cultivation outside of a few botanic gardens in the Southwest. It will form a stout trunk with broader, strap-like leaves than most Yuccas, and is often found growing in the shade and in rather moist situations in the wild. Like Y. schottii, it seems very vigorous and usually bluer in cultivation than in the wild. Its hardiness is unknown but somewhere around 0 - 10°F seems probable - perhaps lower. Be among the first to try this rare Yucca in your garden!
|
|
|
