Agave Plants for Sale - Care and Propagation

Agaves are originally from North America, the Southern states of USA and Mexico. They are monocarpic, they flower once in their lifetime and then die, however they do set seed and even put out offshoots to form clumps, so propagation and ongoing display of foliage is not a problem.

Increasingly popular as an ornamental plant in the Australian garden they are used extensively by landscapers in courtyard situations both in the ground and in pots. A well drained soil and full sun best suits agave, and a feed of slow release fertilizer four time a year is beneficial to growth. Agave attenuata (picture right) is a popular species.

Agaves suit the modern courtyard look, with strong structural lines, they can look great in terra cotta style pots. With over 200 species including variegated forms the choice is wide. Advanced specimen plants are available as are smaller plants, offsets and tubestock.

Other popular species including, Decipiens, Desmettiana, Diffusa, Obscura and Xylonacantha which are all widely used in landscaping where low maintenance and drought tolerant plants are required.

Growing Agave in Pots

Although Agave are a hardy plant and in the ground are reasonably drought tolerant, Agaves are a hungry plant especially the larger species and cultivars. They can quickly become pot bound, they can be root pruned, but are better potted up as they exhaust the potting mix and fill the pot with roots. This is why they will also need watering during dry spells.

So be a little careful with varieties, species and types. For example, Agave americana var. americana is a larger growing species while Agave americana 'Medio-picta' is much smaller. Agave parviflora is one of the smallest species while Agave gentryi is one of the largest.