(Gray Agave, Gray Century Plant)

Silvery blue-gray rosettes of sharp serrated leaves and a cast iron constitution make this a vivid architectural plant for arid landscapes. This succulent evergreen perennial originates at middle elevations in the mountains of Central Mexico. It was widely cultivated in pre-Columbian times by indigenous people who grew it around the home.

The showy leaves are stiff, wide and bear the interesting impressed outlines of toothed leaves as they unfold from the plant’s central cone. The long leaves...

(Goldenflower Agave, Goldenflower Century Plant)

Few American Agave offer the spectacular looks and heat tolerance of this rugged native succulent. It’s found in a very small range at higher elevations of the mountains of Central Arizona amidst the chaparral, where it is quite cold hardy. Conversely it is one of the toughest agaves for full sun on the low desert floor. Such a wide range of adaptability makes an excellent landscape plant for a range of arid regions.

Its lovely evergreen leaves are large, blue-green to green, depending...

(Coastal Agave, Coastal Century Plant)

Rich powder blue coloring, modest size and a cast iron constitution make this little known species perfect for arid landscapes. The plant originates in the dry coastal regions of Sonora, Mexico but is also found at higher elevations of Sinaloa where it is tolerant of occasional cold snaps. Wild plants prefer to dwell in rocky elevated positions or in sandy, gravelly soils. Leaves are stiff, wide and covered with a tough skin that’s markedly rough to the touch. This coarse durable skin gives the plant...

(Desert Agave, Desert Century Plant)

A cast iron native from the American West that’s exceptional for planting in problemed areas with extreme drought and heat. This agave is found in widely scattered locations from southern California to Arizona and southward into Mexico. In the wild it can occur as a solitary plant or exist in extensive colonies, mostly at lower elevations and foothills of mountain ranges. It has a smaller, upright form with narrow leaves in loose, irregular rosettes that are less defined than those of other species....

(Dwarf Century Plant, Smooth Century Plant)

Exceptionally graceful form and minimal leaf tip spines make this softleaf agave a choice specimen. Known only in gardens, it may have originated in cultivation in eastern Mexico. Each symmetrical rosette bears narrow arching leaves with up-curved margins. Leaf color varies from yellow green to blue green with exposure and climate, growing darker in full sun. At an early age the mother rosette develops densely packed offsets. Some gardeners routinely remove the offsets to preserve its striking architectural...

(Dwarf Century Plant, Smooth Century Plant)

A gold-edged form of an elegant agave from eastern Mexico, 'Marginata' has symmetrical rosettes of long, narrow, flexuous, arching leaves. The central leaf color varies from yellow green to blue green, depending on exposure and climate, and tends to be darker in full sun. At an early age the parent rosette develops densely packed offsets at the base. These may be severed, repotted and shared with friends.

The rosettes bloom at about 10 years of age, then die, leaving the offsets. The very...

(Dwarf Century Plant, Smooth Century Plant, Variegated Smooth Century Plant)

Creamy yellow leaf edges set this plant apart from the solid-colored species. The parent species originates from eastern Mexico. Each symmetrical rosette has flexible, narrow arching leaves. The central leaf color varies from yellow green to blue green, depending on exposure and climate, and tends to be darker in full sun. At an early age the parent rosette develops densely packed offsets at the base. These may be severed, repotted and shared with friends.

The rosettes bloom at about 10 years...

(Twin Flower Agave, Twin Flower Century Plant)

A dramatic plant which forms large bristling pincushions of narrow, fine-textured foliage, this Mexican native is a natural for the desert garden or the modern architectural landscape. The symmetrical, nearly stemless rosette comprises up to two hundred slender, bayonet-like leaves, each armed with a needle-sharp tip. This makes for notoriously difficult and often painful transplanting. Plants produce tall dark bronze flower spikes studded with boldly contrasting greenish-yellow flowers. The top...

(Harvard Agave, Harvard's Century Plant)

The dense blue-green rosettes of Harvard's century plant are dramatic and structurally interesting in the landscape. This all-American native naturally exists in the David Mountains located in western Texas. It is an unusually hardy species that can withstand periods of freezing as long as growing conditions remain dry, particularly at the root zone.

The blue-green fleshy leaves of this century plant are large, cupped and heavily spined along the margins. The sharp black leaf tips are particularly...

(Century Plant, Large-bracted Agave)

This large agave from high altitudes in central Mexico is prized not only for its striking appearance but also for its cold hardiness and shade tolerance. The long, broad-based, almost triangular leaves have jagged edges armed with conspicuous teeth. Leaf color varies from dark to light green. After many years, the leaf rosette sends forth a towering stem that bears dense clusters of up-facing funnel-shaped yellow blooms on long horizontal side stalks.

This uncommon agave does best in partial...