Today I was admiring the complex growing pattern of a beautiful little Agave Victoria-reginae variegate that over the last 4 months or so has been setting pups profusely. For those of you who have never seen the “aureo marginata” form of A. Victoria-reginae you are in for a treat.
When grown in areas where there are no heavy frosts such as So California where I am located these plants may be cultivated with good success outdoors where their beauty is better observed. I have a limited amount of earth to grow my plants so I prefer to grow them in pots with quality soil and light shade to full sun exposure. During the hottest summer month they get afternoon shade which coupled with a well timed mid-summer treatment of water soluble potassium-rich fertilizer creates the beautiful Fall colors shown in the picture.
I also have a nice collection of mature Agave Victoria-reginae in my collection as well as the often overlooked King Ferdinand’s agave, the Agave ferdinandi-regis. This form has a black-edged leaf and makes a nice addition to any agave collection. (more…)
I just finished my daily chores, watering, weeding, cleaning out planters, etc and came across some very nice Dyckia platyphylla. each is full of pups and begging to get out of the 1 gal pots they currently reside in. An unbelievable succulent bromeliad with striking color and form Dyckia platyphylla is a great grower that off-sets freely and produces blooms that last for months. D. platyphylla makes an excellent accent plant.
When left to grow in large enough pots or better yet in the ground, Dykia will grow into large clumps. The insert picture shows a mature 1st generation plant in a 24″ pot in full bloom.
I currently have 4 outstanding specimens, each is 7′ – 8″ across with 4 – 6 pups and sell for $14.95. I would like to find them new homes this Fall so if you live in the Southwest and need a beautiful accent plant for your Xeriscape or want to try in a show pot they are begging for a new home. If you live in the East and have a hothouse set up we still have time to ship before it gets to cold.
