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Agave lophantha

 
Agave lophantha
'Quadricolor'
hardy century plant
'Quadricolor' in late March – a bit of pink blush around the leaf margins
Agave lophantha
Making its first pup

Common name hardy century plant
Family asparagaceae
Life cycle perennial
Flowers yellow (summer)
Size 15"
Light sun
Cultural notes well-drained soil
From seed germinate at room temperature with exposure to light
detailed seed-starting info below

Most sources list this agave as hardy only in zones 9-10; Plant Delights Nursery extends it to Z7-10; and there are reports of hardiness in zone 6 (see links below). While in Pennsylvania, I picked up a tiny 2nd-year plant at the HPS/MAG plant sale, and set it in our rock garden to see if it would survive – but it didn't. Many years later, now in Texas, I bought another specimen, this time of the 'Quadricolor' variety, at the sale area at Peckerwood Garden. This time, it shouldn't expire from cold, although excess moisture is still a concern. But planted in well-drained soil in our rock garden, it's been doing great for several years now. The fourth color, pink, supposedly develops when the plant receives plenty of direct sun. I've noticed a hint of that, but for the most part it sticks to a striking contrast of cream, dark green, and light green.

hardy century plant
Pennsylvania specimen
Agave lophantha
I'm afraid our experiment was unsuccessful: the plant was lifeless the next spring
hardy century plant
'Quadricolor' as a young plant

In our garden, this plant grows in the following areas: Houston rock garden, rock garden zone, foundation border

About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Agave lophantha


Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. f. caerulescens seed from NARGS '18/'19 exchange. Baggy 70F with light (72%G, 10-13d).
  2. 'Band Aid' seed from NARGS '18/'19 exchange. Baggy 70F with light (47%, 5d)
  3. 'Band Aid' seed as above. Baggy 70F with light (32%G, 5-7d)
  4. N19 seed f. caerulescens. Baggy 70F with light (76%G, 5-19d)


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