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Agave: winter
survival
M Three hard winters
any species of Agave Winter woes
have been introduced The winter of 2009–10 brought the
and grown outside in in the UK have overdue reality check. In common
UK gardens in recent decades. tested Agave with much of the country, extremely
Nearly eight years ago I discussed low temperatures in my locality of
growing Agave as garden plants in to the limit. southeast Essex arrived in early
these pages (Spracklin 2007). I Following a survey December. I had week-long periods
highlighted species that either had a during which temperatures failed to
proven track record for hardiness or of more than creep above freezing, day or night,
untried species that had potential for 100 growers, and, worse still, up to 60cm of wet
hardiness given their provenance. slushy snow which did not clear until
At the time of writing that article Paul Spracklin the end of March.
the UK had been experiencing reveals the 10 April 2010 still holds for me
milder-than-average winters for painful memories of hiring a large
several consecutive years. This hardiest species skip into which the corpses of my
had perhaps instilled an aura of decaying succulent plants were laid
invincibility about our gardens. made recklessly tender planting to rest – about two-thirds of my
Like many adventurous gardeners, choices with each passing outdoor succulent collection
I had dropped my guard and mild winter. resembled boiled cabbage, far too
10 March 2015
Plantsman
The
many and far too smelly to go onto • Growing conditions: whether in remainder are split between either
the compost heap. raised beds, soil medium, exposure all-winter covering or temporary
The winter of 2010–11 was little to full sun, air movement, aspect. covering. Looking at the figures a
better, although the heavy losses • Cultivation: how often, if at all, little more deeply, it seems most of
from the year before meant fewer the plants were watered, fed or the unprotected agaves are Agave
casualties. And again, the winter protected. americana. Those trying more
of 2011–12 saw cold returning. • Locality: open-ended questions unusual species are inclined to give
The term ‘global warming’ was regarding location, winter them protection of some sort.
quietly altered to ‘climate change’ temperatures and average rainfall. Perhaps inevitably, with hindsight,
to fit the wider perception of the open questions proved the least
extreme weather events, and there Results from survey successful. Links or patterns
were even nervous whispers about The response was greater than I had between rainfall, winter
a returning ice age. All things hoped, with 113 people completing temperatures and locality were
considered, it was not great period of the survey. Gratifyingly, many of the impossible to determine from
winter weather for succulent plants! results have been rather unexpected, the results.
with a greater range of species being
Lessons learnt grown than I would have imagined, Top 10 species in gardens
Of course there are always positives and a greater number of people Based on the survey results, these
to be gained from negatives. The growing some of the more unusual are the hardiest Agave species grown
snow-laden clouds bore a silver lining species. outside. Species are listed in order
All photographs by Paul Spracklin
March 2015 11
genus profile
2 Agave filifera
It was something of a surprise for me
to see this unusual species so high in
the list. Agave filifera does not
conform to most peoples’ image of
an Agave. It forms a reasonably small
but dense rosette of incurved, mid
green leaves that are not very
Agave filifera
succulent and do not have marginal
teeth. Instead, the leaves have curly,
thread-like filaments that peel away
from the edge. Add its striking,
white ‘bud print’ marks on the leaf
surface and the effect is quite
charming. A sharp terminal spine
quickly reminds careless handlers
of its heritage, however.
Although happy in a well-drained
border, A. filifera excels if planted
vertically in a drystone wall. It can
survive to -15°c if dry.
There are related and similar-
looking species which are much
confused in the nursery trade, such
as A. multifilifera and A. schidigera,
but all seem equally easy to grow.
Some selections of each will produce
offsets, others remain solitary.
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Plantsman
The
5 Agave bracteosa
Certainly the most unusual and
least agave-like species on the list,
A. bracteosa makes an endearingly
scruffy, 80cm-wide rosette of
narrow, wiggly, apple-green leaves.
These have no marginal teeth and
no terminal spine to speak of. The
central few leaves clasp each other
tightly and are held upright, and the
tips are peeled back, almost like
pursed lips. Plants remain solitary for
some years, eventually producing
offsets both underground and also,
as it matures, in the leaf axils.
This is one of the most adaptable
agaves to UK conditions, which is
remarkable given that it is found, in
habitat, wedged into tiny, parched
Agave parrasana cracks in vertical, limestone cliff-
faces. It is therefore a perfect
and colourful reddish-brown teeth 4 Agave ovatifolia candidate for planting into a dry
and terminal spines. Something of a newcomer when I stone wall. This species has survived
In the UK climate A. montana wrote the first article, A. ovatifolia down to -12°c in middle England.
seems relatively fast-growing. It has demonstrated its hardiness over
apparently performs far better in the past few years. Fortunately, it 6 Agave parrasana
the UK than in hotter regions of is one of the most dramatically This is another chunky plant,
Europe and the US, attesting to its beautiful agaves that it is possible showing its affinity to A. montana
montane provenance. During the to grow outdoors, space allowing. and A. ovatifolia. But overall it is
growing season this species not A chunky, imposing plant, it has much smaller, reaching perhaps
only tolerates, but appreciates, ghostly, silver rosettes that can 80cm in diameter at maturity. It
extra water, and it is one of the few eventually reach 2m across, although makes a dense rosette of broad
species that can continue to grow plants in the UK are too young to leaves, usually pewter grey and often
throughout winter. It can survive have achieved those proportions. with a dusting of silvery patina.
to -15°c or lower, if dry. The leaves are remarkably broad, Pronounced marginal teeth are ➤
March 2015 13
genus profile
14 March 2015
Plantsman
The
March 2015 15