Growing Agaves: Tips at a Glance
Agaves are pointy-leafed, drought-tolerant succulents. Of hundreds of species, we're partial to variegated A. americana, known as the Century Plant.
- Type Succulent
- Lifespan Long-lived perennial
- USDA Zones 8-10
- Light Full sun
- Water Well-drained soil
- Foliage Gray, green, yellow, blue
- Design Tip Pointed leaves
- Companions Sedum, yucca, aeonium
- Other Uses Container plant
Agave: A Field Guide
Toast to the agave: Not only does this succulent plant bring you tequila and twine, it also is a workhorse in a landscape.
With their pointed and fleshy leaves, agaves are symmetrical, drought-tolerant succulents. Among the hundreds of species, we’re partial to the broad, variegated leaves of A. americana, also called the Century Plant (a hint that you’ll need to wait patiently for it to decide to bloom—and to prepare yourself emotionally for the fact that after it does, the Century Plant like most agaves will die).
A particularly beautiful cultivar to plant in a container is the rarer A. bracteosa ‘Calamar’, with blue-green leaves that curve up and over with grace.
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