Plant of the Month – June
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Artichoke Agave, Parry Agave
Agave parryi
- Plant Form: Succulent
- Water Use: Very Low
- Mature Size: 2-3 ft. tall & wide
- Exposure: Full Sun
- Bloom Time: Summer (June-Aug)
- Native to: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico
- Hardiness: Cold hardy to 15°F
Artichoke Agave forms a dense, symmetrical rosette that actually resembles a giant artichoke. Wide, foot-long, blue-gray leaves are edged with spiny margins and tipped with a one-inch terminal spine. A rosette slowly matures over time until it produces offset “pups” at its base, eventually forming a colony of rosettes. Each rosette flowers only once, usually after 10-15 years, but sometimes not until 20-30 years. From the center of the rosette, one giant flowering stalk rises up to 20 feet tall, after which the flowering rosette dies, but all the new rosettes formed by suckers around the base of the mother plant survive. The flowering stalk is eye-catching, with clusters of orange-yellow flowers on many side branches.This popular ornamental agave is used as an accent or specimen, in borders, or in mass plantings. It is great in succulent and rock gardens, and in containers.
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