Pretty Agaves for Your Containers

Small Agaves

With their perfect shapes, agaves are versatile plants that add drama in sunny gardens but also in pots. Evergreen succulents of outstanding beauty and structural form, agaves produce handsome rosettes of usually thick, rigid, fleshy leaves with marginal teeth and often a sharp terminal spine. Sometimes, compared to giant stylized roses or artichokes, they thrive on neglect. Agaves tolerate most soils as long as they have good drainage, need only modest amounts of water, and rarely require fertilizer.

In gardens with limited space or where the growing conditions might not be optimal to grow these striking beauties, try growing them in containers. Agaves make excellent container plants because of their relatively sparse root system and their tolerance for crowding. Containers also offer the advantage of finding the right amount of sun or shade and make it easy to shelter plants from too much rain or cold.

Belonging to the Asparagaceae family, Agave is a genus of about 300 species available in a wide range of sizes, colors, and an amazing array of leaf shapes. While any agave can be grown in a container, smaller species are safer picks. Planting young versions of large agave varieties (such as Agave americana or Agave franzonii) in pots might lead to cracking your container as a result of their strong root pressure.

If your heart is still set on planting a large agave variety in a container, be aware that you must do regular root pruning (at least once a year). When your agave emerges from dormancy, remove it from the container, wash the roots and cut them in half, and then repot.

Guide Information

Hardiness	7 - 11
Plant Type	Cactus & Succulents
Genus	Agave
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height
Spread
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Low
Soil Type	Loam, Sand
Soil pH	Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Well-Drained
Characteristics	Showy
Tolerance	Drought, Deer, Rabbit
Landscaping Ideas	Patio And Containers

Pretty Agaves for Your Containers

Agave ‘Blue Glow’

Agave ‘Blue Glow’ is an exquisite, slow-growing evergreen succulent that forms rosettes of blue-green, chalky leaves with delicate toothed margins, adorned with a striking golden and red ribbon. This desirable hybrid combines the best traits of its parents, with broader leaves and vibrant colors from Agave attenuata and a smaller size, solitary habit, and terminal spine from Agave ocahui. Perfect for dramatic focal points or decorative pots.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave ‘Cream Spike’

A charming and tiny variegated Agave, ‘Cream Spike’ is a highly ornamental evergreen succulent with small, solitary, rounded rosettes of blue-green leaves adorned with broad butter-yellow margins and dark brown spines. This Agave variety produces many offsets that can be easily pulled and re-planted elsewhere. It is perfect for small containers.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	4" (10cm)
Spread	6" (15cm)

Agave ‘Kissho Kan’ (Butterfly Agave)

A magnificent Japanese selection, Agave ‘Kissho Kan’ is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming a perfectly symmetrical rosette of thick, rigid, soft silver-blue to blue-green leaves. The foliage is adorned with creamy white toothed margins and leaf spines, which emerge yellow, change to pale brown before turning dark reddish-brown. Quite compact, ‘Kissho Kan’ is a terrific addition to pots or containers. Mature plants produce offshoots that can be rooted and propagated easily.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Agave colorata (Mescal Ceniza)

Agave colorata, also known as Mescal Ceniza, is a captivating slow-growing evergreen succulent with powdery blue, spoon-shaped leaves featuring intriguing crossbanding. The rough-textured leaves are scalloped and adorned with formidable dark brown teeth and a stout terminal spine. After maturing for over 15 years, it flowers once, showcasing a magnificent 10 ft. (3m) tall spike with clusters of deep red buds that open to yellow and orange flowers. The flowering rosette dies afterward, but it may produce offsets or pups at its base, typically remaining solitary.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Agave montana (Mountain Agave)

Resembling a large artichoke, Agave montana (Mountain Agave) is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming a rosette of fleshy, broad, upright, apple green leaves with large cinnamon-red teeth along the margins and a stout terminal spine. Adding intriguing beauty, the leaves carry on their lower surfaces the distinct imprints of the thorny leaf margins of the previous outer leaf-bud.

Hardiness	7 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread	4' - 5' (120cm - 150cm)

Agave nickelsiae (King of the Agaves)

An unforgettable sight, Agave nickelsiae, previously named Agave ferdinandi-regis, is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming a striking compact rosette of stout, smooth and spineless, dark olive green leaves. Each leaf is beautifully adorned with ornamental white bud prints. Lacking teeth along the edges, they instead exhibit narrow white margins and are tipped by a contrasting black terminal spine.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	2' (60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave parryi var. huachucensis (Artichoke Agave)

Fairly compact and cold tolerant, Agave parryi var. huachucensis (Artichoke Agave) is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming tight rosettes of broad, thick, rigid, silvery-gray leaves with a conspicuous dark terminal spine. Amazing when massed in a sunny garden, as a groundcover, or in large containers.

Hardiness	8 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave parryi var. truncata (Artichoke Agave)

Fairly compact and cold tolerant, Agave parryi var. truncata (Artichoke Agave) is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming tight rosettes of broad, short, thick, silvery-blue leaves with conspicuous reddish-brown teeth and terminal spines. While infrequent, mature plants (over 10 years) flower only once. They are topped with a magnificent flowering spike that can reach 15 ft. (5m), and bears dense clusters of yellow flowers, tinged orange in bud.

Hardiness	8 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave shawii (Shaw’s Agave)

Agave shawii, also known as Coastal Agave, is a stunning evergreen succulent with sword-shaped green leaves radiating gracefully from its center, forming a neat, rounded rosette. Backlit by the morning or late afternoon sun, the gray spines exhibit captivating coral, gold, pink, or red shades. Mature plants (over 10 years) flower just once, displaying a magnificent 12 ft. (4m) tall flowering spike with clusters of yellow flowers. The flowering rosette perishes, but new rosettes formed by offsets root and create colonies.

Hardiness	9 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave striata (Narrow Leaf Century Plant)

A very hardy Agave from northeastern Mexico, Agave striata (Narrow Leaf Century Plant) is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming interesting rosettes of thin, gray-green leaves with a sharp, dark brown terminal spine. Radiating from the center, the leaves can be stiff or upward curving, and may add lovely purple tones in drought or cold. This Agave produces abundant offshoots or pups after flowering to form small colonies.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Agave victoriae-reginae (Queen Victoria Century Plant)

Incredibly attractive, award-winning Agave victoriae-reginae is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming a perfectly spherical, solitary rosette of thick, smooth and spineless, dark green leaves. Each leaf is adorned with almost ‘hand-painted’ white margins and a small terminal spine. Very slow-growing, this distinctive Agave is terrific for sunny borders or containers.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	9" - 1' (23cm - 30cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Planting Agaves in Pots and Containers

Plant your agave in clay or terra cotta containers with drain holes in the bottom. The drain holes will ensure the soil does not stay wet for too long.
Agaves grown in containers need a soil that will dry out slowly but offer good drainage. Use a cactus potting mix.
Make sure you do not plant your agave to deep. Dig a hole no deeper than the depth of the root ball. Plant your agave so that the bottom leaves are slightly above the soil line.
Provide plenty of light but protect your agave from hot, scorching sun. As a general rule, succulents do not need more than 3-4 hours of direct sun daily.
Water your agave plant once a week during the spring, summer, and fall but only once a month in winter. Pour the water evenly over the soil until it runs out of the bottom of the container. Keep water off the leaves if your plant is in full sun. The water drops could become magnifying glasses, causing burns on the leaves.
Feed your agave with a liquid fertilizer once a month during the spring, summer, and fall. Do not give your plant fertilizer during the winter.
Elevate your container with pot feet so that air can circulate underneath, and ants or slugs do not penetrate through the drain holes. Avoid using a saucer where the water would collect and soak back up into the soil, provoking root rot.
Repot your agave when it gets pot-bound. When the container is filled with roots, your plant cannot absorb properly water and nutrients. Repotting your agave with fresh soil and a bigger container will ensure healthy growth.

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.