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Agave lophantha |
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| | 'Quadricolor' |
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| | 'Quadricolor' in late March – a bit of pink blush around the leaf margins |
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| | 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
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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.
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| | Pennsylvania specimen |
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| | I'm afraid our experiment was unsuccessful: the plant was lifeless the next spring |
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| | 'Quadricolor' as a young plant |
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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
- f. caerulescens seed from NARGS '18/'19 exchange. Baggy 70F with light (72%G, 10-13d).
- 'Band Aid' seed from NARGS '18/'19 exchange. Baggy 70F with light (47%, 5d)
- 'Band Aid' seed as above. Baggy 70F with light (32%G, 5-7d)
- N19 seed f. caerulescens. Baggy 70F with light (76%G, 5-19d)
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