Ultimately he admitted that he wasn’t sure what the agave would do if dug up - shut down or continue with flowering, that either outcome seemed possible.īusy week, weather-wise, democracy-wise. “ I have a quick question about an agave in bloom.” Surprisingly unfazed, the gentleman answering the phone jumped right into discussing possible outcomes. (I’ve recently become enthralled with “The Queen’s Gambit” and young Elizabeth’s ferocious single-mindedness to pursue her chess obsession even though surrounded by uncomprehending, obsession-less people - don’t all childhoods feel this way?) But my specific and very narrow question remained unanswered, so I called local agave grandmasters, Rancho Soledad Nursery near San Diego, Calif., and asked them. Lance cleverly uses the word “gambit” to describe the agave’s monocarpic survival strategy, and I love his vocabulary choice. Agaves found success storing energy in a ‘gambit…’ ( Flowering and Its Trigger in Genus Agave) Both Agave and Yuccas pursued different strategies and succeeded.
Mine was purchased in 2012.Īgave have ‘chosen’ to go down the monocarpic path, putting all of their resources into one flowering…Only a few Yucca species are monocarpic. ‘Dragon Toes’ agaves were produced from tissue culture by Kelly Griffin/Rancho Tissue around 2010. The gestating agave in question in its highly coveted full-sun location on a cloud-covered morning that may or may not end in rain.
It’s an amazing piece of writing, both authoritative yet easy to absorb. Lance wrote the article from which I’m quoting extensively, Flowering and Its Trigger in Genus Agave. And then I remembered that horticulturalist Lance Wright had thoroughly documented his blooming Agave montana (affectionately named “Monte”), a rare and celebratory event in the climate of Portland, Oregon. (Designed by Marjorie Skouras who enthuses: “ Let us make your real world a surreal world.” She’s obviously studied a blooming agave a time or two.) Subsequent searches produced nothing as exciting - or pertinent. My first search string “agave bloom stalk” produced this: Agave Americana Chandelier from Currey & Companyįascinating but not strictly on point. So I got busy looking for answers to my question regarding moving a blooming agave. And perhaps somewhat callously, I would really prefer it if the agave gave birth elsewhere, maybe in the back of the garden. (Don’t ask.) This is a highly desirable location that the agave will remain rooted to while slowly giving birth to its progeny over the coming months.
Shoehorning this winter-blooming shrub into a small, busy garden without seriously considering these requirements will end in tears.
#Spiral aloe leave angles full#
Maybe there will be bulbils! And while I’m intensely interested in seeing this process through to the end, the agave happens to be growing in the perfect location for Leucospermum ‘Tango,’ the South African pincushion shrub which wants lots of air movement and full sun year round (like an agave). Maybe there will be successful pollination and seeds. The once-in-its-lifetime blooming process of an agave can take months until completion. My answer to your question is - my answer always is there are new plants to grow and a finite amount of time and space in which to grow them. Flower bud of Leucospermum ‘Tango’ already purchased, ideally planted right now, with a chance of rain in the forecast.
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