Tag Archive for: Flowering Agave desmettiana

One of the iconic plants of the Southwest flowers only once and produces the most unusual flowers you will probably ever see. 

What is even more interesting, is that each one of these plants produces a different type of flower depending on the species. 

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the plant dies after flowering.

So, by now you may have guessed that I am talking about Agave, sometimes referred to as Century Plant, although they do not take that long to flower.

As I was preparing this post, I was going through my photos of flowering agave and I was struck again at how unusual they are and how different they look from species to species.  Some form a single stalk and others branch out from the single stalk.

I would like to share with you some of my favorites….

flowering agave

When an agave flowers is largely dependent on the species.  Some only take 8 years, while others can wait up to 25 years before they flower.

Some people inadvertently hasten the flowering process by over watering and fertilizing their agave.

flowering agave

 Not all agave flower at the same time.  Some start in the spring while others begin in the fall.

flowering agave

Contrary to popular opinion, removing the flowering stalk, will not keep your agave alive.

In fact, you are interfering with the agave’s crowning glory – their life’s work by removing their flower.

It is fascinating to see how the stalk begins to rapidly grow and then transforms as you can see from the following photos of an Octopus Agave (Agave vilmoriniana).

The stalk begins to appear.

The stalk begins to appear.

It is so interesting to view up close.

It is so interesting to view up close.

The flowering stalk has reached its full height

The flowering stalk has reached its full height.

Small Octopus Agave

Small Octopus Agave that are just waiting to fall and root.  Or you can pull them off and plant them yourself.

The entire flowering process can take months and in many cases, the flowering stalk is quite beautiful and is highly prized.

You can even keep it after it has dried out.  Believe it or not, people pay money for dried agave stalks.

4 different types of agave

In my own landscape, I have 4 different types of agave and I am always thrilled when I see the flower stalk appear and can witness the strange and beautiful flowering process.

The flower of Agave desmettiana

The flower of Agave desmettiana

So, how about you?  Have you witnessed an agave flowering?

Awakening to Spring

I imagine that many of you are busy this week with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  My kids love that they only have to go to school for three days this week.  As I mentioned before, I am hosting Thanksgiving this year at our house for my in-laws and my brother and sister-in-law and their two new baby boys.

Do you know someone who loves to entertain?  Or maybe you are that someone?  As for me, I like the ‘idea’ of entertaining but not necessarily the work.  I tend to get a bit distracted as I plan out the details.  So, this post may appear a bit disjointed, which is how my brain works most of the time….so please bear with me 😉

Out in my garden, there are definite signs that winter will be here in just one month.

first blooms

I always celebrate the first blooms of my Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii), which will soon be a favorite destination for the hummingbirds.

first blooms

If you don’t already have one of these in your garden….rush to your local nursery and GET one.  My Valentine shrub (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’) is one of most favorite plants.  Soon it will be covered in red, trumpet shaped flowers that will last through spring.

first blooms

The yellow blossoms of my Cascalote tree look so beautiful against the blue sky, don’t you think?

Although I do try to include plants in my garden that will bloom through the fall and winter seasons, there is an area that is not particularly colorful…..

first blooms

Not too impressive….is it?

This is what my Bermuda grass lawn looks like once night time temperatures dip into the 50’s.  Although it looks more brown then green, it is not dead – just dormant.  Once the spring temperatures arrive it will green up very quickly.

Now if you love green grass and your husband loves to have to mow the lawn 12 months out of the year (mine doesn’t), you can overseed your grass with perennial rye grass seed in early fall.  I have done this from time to time, but not for the past couple of years.

The other day as I was up our driveway, I saw that one of my plants had a surprise for me….

Agave desmettiana

My Agave desmettiana is beginning to grow it’s flowering stalk.

It grows at an extremely fast rate and you can actually measure the growth daily.

first blooms

You know, I have seen hundreds of flowering agave, but it never gets old.  It is particularly special when it occurs in your own garden.

A common myth is that agave flower after being in the ground 100 years, hence the name ‘Century Plant’.  However, and the length of time that it takes an agave to flower is largely dependent on the species.  Some take longer to flower and others do not.

For example, my Agave desmettiana, above is actually the offspring of my previous agave that flowered and then died.  My agave above is only 5 years old.

**You may notice agave that have had their flowering stalk cut off in hopes that this will keep the agave from dying.  This will not work and robs the landscape of months of beauty that the flowering stalk adds.

Before I go, there is an upcoming event in our area that I would love to tell you about.  It is called Tour de Coops and one of the stops on the tour will be Double S Farms!

Double S Farms

For those of you who may be newer readers, Double S Farms is the residence of my mother (Pastor Farmer), my sister (Chicken Farmer) and her family.  

Double S Farms

 My son Kai loves hanging out with the chickens.

You might have guessed that the tour involves chicken coops.  Actually it is “a self-guided tour of the coolest chicken set-ups” in the Phoenix metro area.

This year’s event occurs on December 4th and you can find more information and ticket information at Tour de Coops.

Tour de Coops

I plan on being at Double S Farms on that day to help and hopefully be able to meet some of you 🙂

Well, that is about it for now.  I need to work on my grocery list for Thursday.  I have a 21 lb turkey thawing out in my refrigerator, but need just a couple more items including heavy cream for my baked corn dish 🙂

I hope you are having a great week so far!