FOR FATHER'S DAY..HOW BOUT GIVING AN AGAVE

In my experience at the front desk at Big Bloomers I have noticed that agaves are a particular favorite of our male customers.  It seems most of our agave "collectors" are men.

Agaves are one tough and dangerous plant.  They make really great stand alone specimen plants and they are drought, heat and humidity tolerant which we have our share of here in North Carolina.  I have small dogs so I mostly use agaves in large pots.

John was excited to bring in some really great new specimen agave this spring.

Agave 'Burnt Burgundy'

This agave hybrid has blue-gray leaves with a sharp burgundy  edge.  It grows 12-15 inches tall and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave funkiana 'Blue Haze'

This funkiana has beautiful powdery-blue leaves with a near-white central midstripe.  It will grow to about 2 feet and is hardy to Zone 7.

Agave funkiana 'Fatal Attraction'

'Fatal Attraction' has narrow dark green leaves with a lighter central midstripe.  It grows to two feet tall and wide and is hardy to zone 7.

Agave parryi ssp huachuensis 'J.C. Raulston'

This is one very special agave and is a clonal selection of parryi growing at the J.C. Raulston Arbotetum in Raleigh.  It forms a perfect 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide tightly held clump of blue-gray wedge-shaped leaves.  'J.C. Raulston' is hardy to zone 7.

Agave 'Silver Surfer'

This is a large agave.  It sports rigid silvery-blue leaves 5 feet fall by 9 feet wide.  Quite a stunning specimen plant and is hardy to zone 7b.

Agave toumeyana

Agave toumeyana has thick, upright gray-green leaves with unraveling filifers along the leaf margins when mature.  It is a small agave, 12"x 12" and being so would be perfect in rock gardens, front of the border or added to a container garden.  It is hardy to zone 7b

Agave utahensis ssp utahensis

This is another small agave forming a small clump of 6-8 inches.  Like toumeyana it would be great in rock gardens or added to a container garden.  This one is hardy down to Zone 6 so my sister in Connecticut could actually grow this one in her landscape.

Agave 'Zebra'

Agave 'Zebra' has marbled broad bands of pale green running horizontally through its v shaped leaves when it is mature.  It grows about 3-4 feet tall and wide.  This one is fast growing but will be slower growing if it doesn't have regular water.  Its hardy to Zone 7.