open house

The Agaves are looking great in the garden today as we start our Fall Open Nursery and Garden.  Here are two of my favorites as they look today…the spineless Agave bracteosa (top) that looks like a stiff green squid, and the magnificent Agave ovatifolia. (botttom) Both of these were brought into the US from Mexico

I took this photo of our oldest plant of Agave albopilosa yesterday.  We sold out of our first crop quickly this spring, but our next batch is almost ready.  It’s one of the coolest century plants we grow…very slow growing, and on the small side even when mature, but what a conversation piece!

The fourth of our eight century plants with flower spikes is now open.  This is a 10-year old specimen of Agave ocahui…one of the agaves with unbranched flower spikes.  We’re enjoying the amazing flowers, while also trying to make crosses with other species to create interesting new hybrids…wish us luck!  Since Agave ocahui doesn’t offset,

While I was gone, one more agave produced a flower spike, bringing our total to 8 flowering century plants, equaling our 2013 total.  Here is Agave lophantha that had the decency to wait until I got home to open.  It looks like we’ve probably got another week or two before it starts to open and