agaves in vogue - cdn.ymaws.com

Agave ‘blue Glow’ features blue-green leaves with red margins edged in yellow. Each leaf tip bears a short, soft red spine.Photo by Sean hogan

By Tracy Ilene MillerDespite their many fine attributes

and fitness for a wide range of zones, agaves in the landscape have yet to be fully embraced by gardeners and landscapers. Perhaps it’s their prickly constitution.

large-scale acceptance may be just around the corner, however, as nursery growers of these architectural beau-ties have seen sales of agaves steadily increase the past few years.

“It’s not a huge market, but we’ve noticed a slight uptick over time,”

These spiky shrubs strike a pose wherever they’re planted, and sales are spiking, too

agaves in vogue

AUGUST 2013 ▲ DIGGER FARWEST EDITION 13

▲ AGAVES IN VOGUE

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said Ketch de Kanter, owner of little Prince of Oregon Nursery in Aurora, Ore.

Sean Hogan, owner of Cistus Nursery in Portland, Ore., agreed.

“It’s coming along,” he said. “People are more savvy about the hardy ones and which ones to leave as house plants.”

Agave has wide variability in har-diness and size. Oregon growers are building up their inventories of mostly hardy varieties down to USDA Zones 6 and 7, along with a few of the tender ones, more suited to Zone 9.

Hogan’s love for agave stems back to his teenage years and has seldom abated. At times, Cistus Nursery has sold more than 100 agave varieties, leading the staff to nearly revolt, Hogan joked. Currently he lists about 65 in his inventory, with only a minority

As its leaves unfold, Agave gentryi ‘Jaws’ resembles the distinctive mandible of a shark. Photo courteSy of LittLe Prince of oregon nurSery

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in the tender category. little Prince of Oregon Nursery

sells nearly 30 varieties; almost all are hardy in the Northwest. Blooming Nursery in Cornelius, Ore., offers about the same number of selections.

The wholesale grower, specializing in perennials, has been growing agaves for nearly five years. “The first year or so was very slow, but now they are selling at a good rate,” sales representa-tive Jim Siehl said. “They are something that people are willing to play with, especially when plant stores are willing to pot them up.”

Educating the consumerRetail customers can be roped in

when they see agaves displayed in pots, and it’s especially true when they’re mixed in with plants that complement their chiseled features. This is where the agave learning curve should be taken into special consideration.

According to growers, consumers need proper and specific growing infor-mation to go with the plants. Otherwise, they are less likely to experience suc-cess with them. Retailers should be

Agave schidigera ‘black Widow’ is prized for its unusual silver-white threads that develop along the leaf edges as the plant matures.Photo courteSy of LittLe Prince of oregon nurSery


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particularly mindful of agave’s place-ment with other plants in store displays, growers said. This will further associate the plant with its appropriate placement in the landscape.

“I would practice caution what you put agaves with,” Hogan said.

For instance, display Japanese maples around the corner with some of the wet-weather, overly green stuff. Position agaves with other plants that showcase their drought-tolerant nature and sculptural, strong shape.

“The most important thing is to keep their feet dry,” de Kanter says. “It’s not really the issue with cold up here; it’s the issue with dryness. Very little water is required after you establish them. They look great in a rock garden and for xeriscaping, as an alternative to Sempervivum and Sedum.”

Agaves look great in pots, espe-

Agave ferox makes a handsome landscape subject as well as a great container plant. When it flowers, the stalk can be 30 feet tall with 3-inch-long yellow flowers, which attract hummingbirds. Photo by Sean hogan

▲ AGAVES IN VOGUE


cially in groupings. As the main attraction, their bold rosettes contrast with other low-water plants such as Oenothera berlandieri (Mexican evening Primrose), that will “ramble through,” Siehl said. Other good companion plants for agaves include Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-Summer), epilobium canum (California fuchsia) and varieties of allium such as Agastache and Cistus.

“[Agaves] are so architectural that they can be used as a focal point in the garden, especially in the drier garden with lots of sun, or a focal point with other things in a pot,” Hogan says. “They are like hens and chicks on steroids.”

It almost goes without saying, but every agave sold at retail should come with a warning that the roots need to be kept bone dry. But custom-ers also should be advised that these plants have sharp points that can poke them.

“Plants aren’t normally intimidat-ing,” de Kanter said with a laugh. “But agaves can hurt you. It could be a limitation to sales.”

Native to southeastern New mexico, Agave neomexicana is one of the most cold-hardy agaves. Photo by Sean hogan


▲ AGAVES IN VOGUE

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Favorite selectionsSince there are so many different

agaves available, advice on the best selec-tions is especially useful. Hogan, de Kanter and Siehl pointed to several favorites.

Hogan recommended Agave ‘Blue Glow’, an all-around best seller. One of the reasons for its popularity could be its smooth foliage. Its red-trimmed leaves are vibrant and attrac-tive, and its blue color glows almost translucent in the afternoon sun, where it’s best situated.

Hogan recommended two others that are especially good for newbie agave growers, because they’re hard to kill. They are Agave parryi var. couesii, which is one of the smaller and more cold-hardy selections of A. parryi, and the equally cold-hardy Agave neomexicana.

“They’re very blue and form little rosettes two feet across.” Hogan said. “They’re fun, and I’ve seen some of them in my neighborhood, in old rock gardens.”

Agave parryi ‘Cream Spike’ is another compact rosette type, and a grower favorite (although still a surprise underseller), with its smooth leaves,

Slimfoot century plant (Agave gracilipes) has a compact form and leaves that unfurl to around 12 inches long. Photo courteSy of ciStuS nurSery


wide creamy border and red spikes.In the larger varieties, Agave ameri-

cana var. protoamericana ‘Silver Surfer’ is one of the more popular grown as a specimen, to 5 feet. Its stiff, silvery-blue leaves command attention as they point to the sky.

“It has the century plant look that people think of when they think of agave,” Siehl said.

For customers looking for hardy and big, Hogan recommended Agave ovatifolia ‘Whale’s Tongue’. It can reach 7–8 feet across. According to Hogan,

Dark brown teeth and spines contrast with the cream-edged green leaves on Agave ‘Cream Spike’. The small rosette-forming succulent grows to only 4 inches tall by about 6 inches wide, making it a great container plant. Photo courteSy of LittLe Prince of oregon nurSery


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it’s one of the most frost and damp tolerant, agaves with a green the color of a jade necklace. Although you could put it in a container, it demands space outside of one.

The spikiness of agaves may deter particular customers, but it hasn’t stopped varieties with a particularly sharp presence from reaching the top of sales lists.

“I would have thought just the traditional ones would have sold, but it’s across the board,” Siehl said. “I’m surprised that there is a wide range of demand for agave. We haven’t dropped anything for lack of sales.”

Agave gentryi ‘Jaws’, for instance, is a consistent seller. Named after the famous movie, the leaves on this short (under 2 feet) agave are curled in and look like they are lined with shark teeth tinged in red.

▲ AGAVES IN VOGUE

Also called weeping agave, Agave tenuifolia is a small, clumping species with slender, arching leaves that grow to about a foot tall. Photo courteSy of LittLe Prince of oregon nurSery


Just as menacing sounding, and as popular, Agave parrasana ‘Meat Claw’ is another short plant with a sharp presence. It matures slowly and sports powder-blue leaves that look as if short fishhooks edge them.

Another surprise, de Kanter said, is the number of his plants going to California. He had assumed the grow-ers there would meet the demand of the California market. But consumer demand there is evidently higher than the supply. The fact that agaves are slow growing might be a factor. This limits the availability of stock in the trade. What’s more, reliable sources for tissue culture material are limited.

Because of these conditions, prices tend to stay high and inventory low on any one variety, even as demand for agave is rising. For instance, de Kanter is almost up to one greenhouse full of agave, but because it is slow growing, a single variety may actually be in five stages of production in one house.

Considering their beauty, their strong form in the garden, and the increasing interest, growers are continu-ing to explore and expand the range

Native to the Chisos mountains in the big bend area of West Texas, Agave harvardiana thrives in full sun. Photo courteSy of bLooMing nurSery

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of varieties that are hardy and well suited for the Pacific Northwest and beyond. little Prince has gone so far as to market some of the agaves as part of the outside-inside line of plants: those that can be grown outside and brought inside.

By accident de Kanter discovered his ‘Blue Glow’ was doing well, which led to testing of others, and now they have six they sell in ceramic pots as outside-inside plants. He imagines many more agave varieties will prove their resiliency and versatility over time and once tested.

Tracy ilene Miller is a freelance writer and editor who covers several top-ics, including gardening. She can be reached at [email protected].

▲ AGAVES IN VOGUE

Agave ovatifolia (Whale’s Tongue Agave) grows from 2 to 5 feet tall by 3 to 6 feet wide with a rounded rosette of wide gray leaves that are distinctively cupped. Photo by george huLL


agaves in vogue - cdn.ymaws.com

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