(Note: no Agaves were harmed in the making of this photo)
Not all agaves are suited for hot, humid Houston. Some will rot, some will freeze, and some are from the higher mountains of Mexico and don't like the lowlands.
These agaves are mostly new and have not been through a Houston winter.
Agave celsii is a smmooooth agave. I've tried to find one locally for 3 years.
I got this one as a Father's Day gift from a Wal-mart in Katy!
Agave desmettiana variegata
I bought this one because it was much more heavily variegated than any I'd seen. Most have only a thin yellowish band along the leaf. Also, one of the pups is pure yellow. Worth watching!
Agave geminiflora
This picture does not capture it's great form. The leaves have smooth edges and feel like green pencils that are a bit flattened (convex). It will develop some nice threads along the leaves as it grows larger.
Agave bracteosa 'Calamar' (?)
Calamar is the most popular version, so I'm guessing this is what I bought.
It will tolerate shade a bit more than other agaves. It is slow growing and the leaves are VERY brittle.
I broke off two when I planted it. No spikes or needles.
Another unusual agave.
Are there any agaves I don't have? Of course! All collectors have a wish list. But for now, I'm happy with growing these new editions to Tropical Texana. BTW: All made it through endless days of rain without a sign of rot. They love our current heat wave. Glad someone does. :-(
All these beautiful agaves are possible to have in a pot outdoor during summer, but during the rest of the year we have to have them indoor like a potplant.
ReplyDeleteHere is not as hot as before just +22° C, good when I am making my garden ready for the open gardenday on sunday.
Agaves are some of my favorite plants. Agave desmettiana is one of my favorites and I have a green one in my garden :-)
ReplyDeleteVery nice bunch of agaves, David. It's so easy to go nuts over these great plants.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the first photo....too much fun! I bet you were laughing so hard you could hardy hold the camera still. All of your agave collection is very good looking. But then who am I too judge as I've never met an agave I don't love.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for the kind words! I have a lot more in the collection, so this type of post is in the future blog forecast. David :-)
ReplyDeleteYour collection is off to a great start! Funny first picture too. A. desmettiana and celsii are not reliably winter-hardy here in Austin, but like you, I can't be without desmettiana so I grow it in pots. Squid agave (A. bracteosa) is a great one for semi-shade.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by. I know of two Agave celsii
garden spots here in Houston and I checked them both after our record 21 degree freeze back in Jan. Amazingly, both clumps of plants made it with hardly a scratch. That convinced me to try one even though it's not nearly as hardy as some of the other agaves. It grows beautifully in the shade of live oaks and actually takes on a deeper green color rather than the apple green in half day sun. It needs to be used a lot more here in the Bayou City.
David :-)
I love your agave collection. I don't have any of those except for the A. desmettiana but mine is not variegated.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to trade links with your blog. It is easier for me to keep track of your site that way.