April Plant of the Month: Agaves

by Mary Townsley

Agaves, slow growing plants with striking structural features, are related to asparagus (YES!) and yucca. Most agaves are monocarpic, meaning that they send up an asparagus-like flower stalk once, produce flowers and seeds, then die.  Their long-lived nature has led to them labeled as "century plants".  However, agaves don't actually live for 100 years. The large Agave americana specimens you see in landscapes around Mobile County may take 10-25 years to flower, producing an impressive flower stalk up to 30 ft tall. But these agaves have another route to reproduce before flowering - they produce prolific offsets or pups.  However, there are exceptions to this rule among agaves. Much smaller agaves such as Agave stricta or Agave 'Blue Glow' can live quite happily in well-draining pots and do not produce pups. If you are looking for an interesting specimen for your garden, look no further!