Woody Lilies

Crystal bowl agave! We originally made this selection of Agave montana in 1997 on one of our trips to Mexico. We have grown it for many years and have been impressed with it all along. But it offsets slowly, making it im... More

Hardy A. americana variegate! We got this Agave americana variegate, having blue-green leaves with a cream edge, from Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery. He originally got it from a customer in Roanoke, VA. The plant looks simil... More

Silver select! This selection of A. americana var. protoamericana was selected because of the silver coloration to the leaves, the pronounced teating of the leaf margins and its compact size. The silver leaves and u... More

Tough as Leather! This is most likely a form of Agave americana protoamericana or one of the A. protoamerican intergrades with A. asperima (syn. A. scabra) that has been cultivated ... More

Lemon Lime Agave!

This Agave americana variegate is not your typical white or yellow or cream combined with green. The variegation is a bizarre combination of greens. Down the center of each leaf runs a bro... More

Silver Surfer Agave! Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery made this fine Agave selection out of a batch of seedlings he grew from seed we sent him years ago. This plant grows in form much like many A. americana var. ameri... More

Hardy with great form! This variety does not attain the mammoth proportions of the cultivated Agave americana that punctuates the Mediterranean climes. Instead, it has an upright compact form that has proven to be very desi... More

Cow horn agave! The name is derived from the central bud's resemblance to a cow's horn. The shiny light-green leaves with contrasting chestnut-brown spines and strong bud imprint mark this species as unique--a pleasu... More

Octopi! A spineless and toothless agave that resembles a group of octopi laying amongst the boulders. The 24 in. wide rosettes of bright-green leaves offset to form colonies in their native habitat clinging t... More

Frosted squid! Wow! Wow! (a moment to catch ones breath) Oh my Gosh! Wow! This is a typical response of people when they first get to see this marginally variegated form of Agave bracteosa. The plant is so stunning ... More

Variegated Agave celsii When I first saw this variegate at a nursery in Thailand, I was not certain what species it was. It was so stunning, that I temporarily drew an identification blank. When someone told me it was A. cel... More

Chiapas Agave! This relative of Agave celsii from the state of Chiapas, MX is superficially similar in appearance to it, but the leaves tend to be broader and stouter. The teeth on the margins of the leaves are also... More

Another Soap Agave! According to Gentry’s “Agaves of Continental North America”, Agave chrysoglossa is closely related to Agave vilmoriniana but the leaves are flatter and straighter and the inflorescence is non-bu... More

- An attractive plant with long, narrow leaves and long filifers that form a single rosette. Found just above the Pacific coastline in places with high-tide salt spray. As the name suggests, it is nativ... More

Golden highlights! A highly ornamental form that is variegated in creamy yellow bands along the leaf margins. The variegation is especially effective on this plant because of its cultural need for a shady area--accentin... More

This plant is a member of the Marginatae Group of Agaves, which also includes species like A. lophantha, A lechuguilla, A. funkiana and A. xylonacantha. I mention its familial relatives so that people... More

Durango Agave!
This moderate to large growing Agave is found at moderate elevations (5500' to 8500') on open rocky slopes in the high grasslands of Durango and Zacatecas, MX. It has broad, silver leaves, which have ... More

This somewhat small agave is native to the grama grasslands in the states of Chihuahua and Durango, Mexico at elevations around 3000' to 5000'. The plant has an open habit with comparatively few leave... More

Steely blue dagger! In the rain shadow of the Sierra Madre Oriental, south of CD Victoria this clumping agave makes an impressive show. Each individual plant has 18 in. to 2' tall dagger-like leaves that are a steely blu... More

Green explosion! This unusual and, in our opinion, most beautiful agave can be grown in a pot. The flexible, bright-green, pencil-like foliage is produced in such profusion that it becomes an explosion in green. With ... More

In the late 1990's when John Fairey and I were making regular treks into Mexico, I spotted this heavily armed selection in a huge colony of Agave gentryi. It made a treacherous groundcover under the o... More

Guadalajara Agave! A small, tight rosette of blue-gray leaves with pronounced nipples along the leaf edge with small spines embedded in them that become more numerous and larger toward the leaf tip. Endemic to a small a... More

Blue Wave Agave! This agave clone came to us years ago as Agave americana 'Blue Wave'. It somewhat has the look of Century Plant, like A. americana, but without the hardiness of A. americana and it is a much smaller p... More

Not so obscure! What a sight to behold, a rock outcropping stippled with compact, artichoke-like succulent agaves the size of basketballs; the skyline is punctuated with the exclamation point-like flower spikes. A br... More