Small Agaves in the Garden
Oftentimes when I'm eyeing a fabulous looking plant at a local nursery the impulsive collector in me uses his full powers of persuasion while whispering sweetly - "Just buy it - you'll find a spot for it someplace." Balanced on my other shoulder is the realist with a pragmatic voice insisting I have a plan. That second voice I trust to do things like tax planning but isn't the first voice so much more fun to hang out with in the garden? Where was I going with this train of thought... small Agaves!
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| Agave patonii 'Alba Marginata' Summer, 2020 |
Their diminutive size places them in a state of 'perma-cuteness' and means you can collect a lot of them before you run out of space.
The above A. patonii is growing on a outside corner next to a driveway where not much else would have room to grow or survive.
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| A. patonii happily growing inside an exposed corner. |
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| Along a garden path in full sun almost all the time |
The three Agave filifera ssp. schidigera "Shira ito no Ohi" above are growing well and I doubt they will ever run out of room!
The great thing about the smaller Agaves is that the pragmatic voice can be satisfied as well. Itty-bitty size, architectural form, low water requirements, low maintenance - these are qualities that make them well suited for some specific jobs in the garden. For example along the edge of a curved, garden path where visitors have time to take in details.
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| Agave parryi ssp buachuensis "JC Raulston" |
I'm not really sure if this A. parryi will stay small as it's reported to get 2-3' wide but it's been in the ground now for almost two years and has stayed roughly the same size. It's very different from an "Artichoke Agave" cousin down the way which is several times this size.
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| Agave isthmensis "Rum Runner" |
I have a few "Rum Runner's" planted along the edge of a road in front of our house. They'll never get big enough to grow into the road so maintenance isn't an issue - unlike for example a big bushy Salvia.
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| Agave Kissho Kan |
The above blanket of Wooly Thyme surround this Agave Kisso Kan was a happy accident. The contrast of textures is kinda of cool right? I like how this little Agave is framed by a mat of green.
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| Miniature Agaves being overrun by A. funkiana "Fatal Attraction" |
A not so happy accident. I didn't realize Agave funkiana "Fatal Attraction" could be so invasive - but it has been quick to spread. The small A. Kisso Kan to the right looks like it is about to be overtaken. Below is a shot from a different angle taken a few years ago.
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| A. funkiana 'Fatal Attraction' just after planting in 2018 |
This is taking place alongside a path so digging up the "Fatal Attraction" volunteers is on my bucket list. Lesson learned - be careful what's planted next to your miniatures.
Of course miniature agave's are also perfect for a pot - especially if you live in a cooler clime and need to bring plants in for the Winter.
Happy Gardening!
These are all so good, glad you listened to the voice of reason (the one saying buy that agave).
ReplyDeleteIt all worked out in the end!\
DeleteThat parryi is a beauty, but is there a parryi that isn't a beauty? The Agave patonii 'Alba Marginata', too. Do you have albopilosa, stricta nana, pygmae? Those are nice ones. Your boulders and pebble mulch, fabulous. Is it tough keeping the pebbles under control?
ReplyDeleteRapid offsetters are pests. One or two offsets are plenty. A. univittata/lophantha 'Quadricolor' for example, pestilential. More of solitary habit among the larger ones, or maybe that's just my impression.
The parryi are pretty cool - the A. parryi truncata we have is one of my wife's favorites. Albopilosa... I wish but not yet but when I stumble across one I'll be sure to give it pride of place. Lopantha's are definitely pest like - if you have one you have 20 next year! I donated a dozen or more gallon size offsets to my plant club. I think I could easily pull out another few dozen.
DeleteThe pebbles aren't hard to keep in place - but picking out leaf litter and other flotsam and jestsam can be a pain.
All are beautiful specimens. Agave patonii 'Alba Marginata' is beautiful. My Agave funkiana hasn't spread like that but the variegation of its leaves has inexplicably faded as it's matured. I spent the afternoon thinning out a patch of one of my own small agaves, A. lopantha 'Quadricolor', which I love but which is a relentless pupper.
ReplyDeleteA. lopantha - pretty, tough and multiple like Tribbles.
DeleteI've been religiously pulling the pups on A. lophantha 'Quadricolor' and now have a nice-sized solitary rosette -- just pulled a couple pups yesterday in fact! The offsetting really seems to have slowed down now since I've kept up with it. I haven't planted 'Rum Runner' in the ground and was just thinking the other day that letting some small agaves multiply into a large drift like echeverias might not be so bad, like your photo shows. I think I like the effect. Wonderful collection. I'm a fan of the small agaves too. 'Kissho Kan' on a blanket of thyme is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that garden bloggers were spending so much collective time removing 'Quadricolor' pups! I never thought about the comparison of echeveria and a miniature agave - but it's a good one. The deer will nibble on echeveria but never on an agave. The only downside is that a plant like 'Rum Runner' seems to grow fairly slowly but .. I suppose buying several and planting them relatively closely would give you a drift within a few years.
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