The agave can hardly be compared with an ordinary flower in the garden: After all, the rosette of leaves in many agave species grows relatively discreetly over years or decades before the plant finally blooms majestically and then dies after a short time.

Most agaves die after flowering

Beauty and transience are linked in the agave

While many a flower in the garden reliably blooms every year or even several times a year, the agave is more aesthetically pleasing thanks to the color and shape of the characteristic leaf rosette. Finally, with most species of agave, you need a lot of patience before you can see the flowering of these plants. Since some agaves can really take a few decades to flower, terms such as "hundred-year-old agave" or "century plant" have become common. Particularly tragic: not for all, but also for many agave species, the blossom is the climax and at the same time the end of a long life. The plant often dies immediately after flowering, but there are also species where this is not the case.

The characteristic features of an agave flower

The often up to six meters and occasionally up to twelve meters high inflorescences of the larger agaves consist of a very long stalk and a branched flower at its upper end. The actual flowers are characterized by the following properties:

  • zymose partial inflorescences (branched)
  • short-stalked flowers
  • tubular or bell-shaped perigon
  • movable anthers on the stamens

Mistakes about how long it takes for the agave to flower

While not all agaves cultivated in pots die after flowering, not all agaves take decades to flower. You can also find agaves in specialist shops, which will surprise you with an attractive flower after only a few years of care.

tips

It is often quite a tragic moment for gardeners when certain agaves bloom at the same time as they are about to die off. However, you can provide offshoots in good time by using the offshoots that develop on the agave for propagation.

Category:

Vegetable garden