How to Landscape With Agave

A large blue-gray agave accents brick and adobe-style architecture.

When you garden in warm climates with hot, sunny days, mild winters and poor soil conditions, plant selection may seem limited. Jazz up the standard fare of cactus and hardy grasses with the drama of agave. From the tall Century plant with its blue-gray, leathery leaves to the bright green of variegated smooth agave, these plants grace landscapes in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 10. Let agave bask in the sunlight, keep their base and roots from soggy soil and give them positions of honor in your garden.

Instructions

1. Create a focal point in the garden with a large Century plant (Agave americana). Allow a minimum 7-foot clearance on all sides to accommodate the plant's mature size of 6 to 12 feet across and up to 12 feet high. In smaller gardens, use a variety such as the powdery-blue Agave franzosinii that reaches 8 to 10 feet high and wide, or variegated types like Medio-picta Alba and Marginata that top out at 5 feet. Surround the plant with a layer of small black lava stones, red pumice chunks or yellow-toned river rock to provide a sharp contrast with the plant's blue-gray and green colors.

2. Separate your property from the next with an agave border. A row of Agave montana with its red-rimmed, spined leaves reaches 4 feet high and wide -- just right for a friendly hedge to visit across, yet spiky enough to discourage intruders.

3. Design beds with a blend of different types of agave. Anchor the bed with a single variegated smooth agave (Agave desmettiana 'Variegata'). Place three to five bright green Black-spined agave (Agave macroacantha) in a loose cluster in the bed. Add highlights to the bed with two or three small rosette-shaped agave plants. For mixed beds, combine agave with colorful drought-tolerant flowering perennials like common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and bright yellow coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora).

4. Place several varieties of agave in decorative containers for landscape accents around the deck, patio and entryway. The pom-pom-shaped Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoriae-reginae), slimfoot century plant (Agave gracilipes) and artichoke agave (Agave parryi var. truncata) remain under 2 feet tall and wide, making them suitable for planting in pots. Container-grown agave may be moved to a protected area or indoors during inclement weather spells to protect them from cold damage.

Tips & Warnings

• Many agave plant leaves have serrated edges and sharp spines on the tips. Wear heavy leather gloves and protective clothing to avoid scratches and cuts when handling the plants.

References

• University of Florida; Agave and Yucca: Tough Plants for Tough Times; Gary W. Knox; February 2010
• "Sunset"; Agaves: Living Sculptures; Sharon Cohoon
• "Fine Gardening"; Designing With Spiky Plants; Sean Hogan
• Ohio State University: Common Yarrow
• Texas AgriLife Extension Service; Coreopsis; William C. Welch; April 2009
• Arizona State University: Queen Victoria Agave