The Hardiest Agave

- for Cold Wet Climates

John Edmiston

The Hardiest Agave

- for Cold Wet Climates

rowing Agaves in climates that have cold and wet

winters is a challenge. It won't be enough to just
plant them in the ground and hope for the best.
Considerable preparation of the planting site is the first key
to success. While many Agaves can cope with sub-zero
temperatures and the effects of frost, when their roots are
wet their ability to survive is considerably diminished. Even
the cold-hardiest Agave will struggle in a poorly drained
water-logged soil. Many of the Agaves from Mexico particularly from the warmer regions - will succumb in a cold
wet winter. Those Agave species that grow naturally further
north and at higher altitudes are more hardy.
Hardy for where exactly? Its a good question... for cold wet
climates? But, as we know, hardy in one location may not be
hardy in another. Hardy in coastal Cornwall may not be
hardy for a garden in a frost pocket in the East Midlands.
Within the British Isles the regional variations in climate are
considerable. And even two gardens in nearby geographical
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locations may have such differing characteristics of drainage

and available sun that the same species of plant will survive
in one but not the other. Experienced growers who have
done their fair share of experimentation know that even
within their own garden, one specimen may pull through a
tough winter while another succumbs. So hardy therefore,
must always be considered a relative term. It slides. It is
variable and dependent upon a wide range of factors.
This is written primarily for British gardeners. It will,
however, also apply to much of northern Europe although
conditions inland on the continent tend to be much colder.
The closest analogues to the UK climate are probably parts
of the coastal zone of the Pacific North West, particularly
northern Washington and the southern sector of British
Columbia.
In the UK the climate is cold temperate and the winters are
typically wet. The most important consideration when
growing Agaves is drainage. An Agave any Agave, no
matter how hardy it is - must have good drainage. A freedraining substrate of rock, rockdust, shingle, gravel, pumice,
perlite and grit mixed with some sharp sand makes an ideal
base. North American soils tend to be alkaline and most
Agaves grow either in close proximity to limestone or in
calcareous soils. Limestone chippings added to the mix will
provide the necessary alkalinity. Organised into a raised bed
with large rocks, rubble and hard-core at the bottom with

successively smaller grades of rock and gravel layered above

this base provides an ideal substrate. The mix needs very
little organic matter as the Agave will extract much of its
nutrients from the minerals in the substrate particularly if a
basaltic rockdust is used. Further nutrients can be provided
by granules of gradual-release fertiliser.
Shelter from the cold north-easterly winds is an important
consideration. If fencing, natural walls or boundaries can't be
utilised, ways of creating a wind-break or shelter belt may
need to be thought about. A driving north-easterly wind
bringing cold air down from the Arctic will add a wind-chill
factor of several degrees. Even a larger plant - a hardy Yucca
species for instance - or a large rock placed on the northeast
side of the Agave creates a small temperature difference by
forcing the cold air to go around it and on either side of the
Agave. If several rocks can be grouped together to form a
miniature hill or mound it can make a small but significant
difference to the temperature in its immediate proximity.
Some natural overhead cover - the sparse overhanging
branches of a tree - can be a valuable extra protective
measure and will help to generate some natural insulation
from frost without shutting out too much light. Not every
garden, of course, will be so favoured but in planning your
planting the more elements that you can build into it that
will alter the microclimate and provide shelter and warmth
the better.

Many Agaves grow on steep inclines, hillsides and slopes,

clinging to vertical cliff-faces or perched on rocky ledges.
Their roots secure a tenacious foothold in cracks and
crevices, anchoring themselves and extracting nutrients
directly from the rock. So if the raised bed is on a sunny
south-facing natural incline or if a gradient can be built up
the drainage will be improved further. Flat rocks on the
surface angled downwards provide excellent surface runoff
and mimic the conditions that many Agaves grow in. Large
rocks placed close to specimen plants will absorb heat
during the day and radiate it slowly as the atmospheric
temperature starts to drop.
Making a xeric raised bed takes time and planning and you
may have something more modest in mind. There are some
favoured locations like London where the urban heat
radiation and the relative dryness of the climate - compared
to the wetter west coast regions - make it possible to grow
desert plants with less effort. Yet still, the same principles
apply. Every once in a while Nature will deliver a colder or a
wetter winter than you can remember. If time has been
spent making a south-facing raised xeric bed and particularly
if this raised bed has a gradient for excess water to run off
quickly then you have provided a very good foundation for
an Agave to survive whatever the winter can throw at it
well, almost

There are some other considerations will you provide any

further protection? Will you provide a rain-shelter, for
instance? Some regions are wetter than others. In regions
exposed to the prevailing wet westerly winds, where days or
weeks of rainfall are not uncommon, a temporary structure
may be the most sensible approach. To the east of the
country - in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and in London rainfall is less. Nontheless, a simple construction consisting
of a wood frame and a pitched clear-plastic roof will ensure
that your Agave stays dry over the winter no matter how
much rain there is. Use polythene stapled to the framework
or polycarbonate fixed or cable-tied to the woodwork. An
overhanging eave will steer water away from the roots.
Allowing a small part of two of the sides to be open will
ensure a free cross-flow of circulating air.
And then there is the question of whether to fleece or not.
Many exotic gardeners in the UK lost plants in the winters
of 2009 and 2010. After a run of relatively mild winters, the
long extended periods of sub-zero temperatures in those
years - particularly in the 2010-11 winter - took some by
surprise. Many people in the exotic gardening community
had gotten out of the habit of fleecing their plants. But even
a large Agave is relatively easy to fleece. A couple of layers of
heavy-gauge fleece will provide a very useful buffer of extra
warmth that can easily be taken off again when temperatures
pick up. Fleecing outdoor Agaves during spells of cold
weather is sensible practice. At the Tropical Britain nursery,

I grow literally tens of thousands of Agaves, but once they

start to get to some size, losing one is never a good feeling.
The simple expedience of covering them in fleece then
letting them breath once again when the air temperature has
warmed up is best practice. There is no glory in trying to
grow a plant unprotected and then failing. I know because I
have lost countless plants doing precisely that. If your plants
have survived the last three winters unprotected that's
great... but you will feel as sick as a parrot if they rot just
because bravado prevented a more flexible approach.
I'm a great believer in being sensible and not taking Mother
Nature for granted... and being prepared to move quickly
when the weather turns...
There is just one other thing... Get to know your plants and
let them grow on to some size before you plant them out.
Spend a year or two hardening them off, letting them grow
bigger and tougher. Growing them first in terracotta
containers, perhaps spending the worst of their first winter
or two under unheated glass will give you a chance to
observe them in your locality and will give the plants time to
grow stronger. When you do plant them out into their final
positions always plant them in Spring, giving them as long a
growing season as possible before the winter. They can be
planted as early as you dare for your local conditions.
Gardening advice for planting out plants is usually when the
soil has warmed up. In the case of Agaves, it's not really soil

you are planting into - more a free-draining mix of rock and

shingle... but when it has warmed up, that is the ideal time to
plant. Usually when the last frost has passed. If you can't
wait that long... don't forget the fleece...
Place the plant so it sits slightly above the surrounding
substrate - about 1cm - and backfill with a mulch of rock
and gravel.
Here then is a quick checklist...
Site preparation - good drainage in a raised xeric
bed of rubble and rock with little organic matter
Agaves like an alkaline substrate - rough limestone
chippings will keep it alkaline
Build the bed on a incline or create a gradient
Plant out in the Spring after acclimatising and
hardening your plants having first let them grow
to a good size
Be sensible. A rain shelter and fleece is sensible
during the worst of the winter months - at least
for the first few years
Vigilance! Keep an eye out for adverse winter
conditions and be nimble to act accordingly, fleece
at the ready...
The all important matter of choosing a suitable
species...

When I first thought about writing this it was obvious that

many people would have differing opinions on what the
hardiest Agave was. The horticultural community has always
had people with strong opinions. So you may not agree with
me. That's fine. I like a good debate. Ive grown succulents
for longer than I care to remember but Im always learning
something new. That is the wonder of horticulture and the
wonder of botany you can go on learning new things
everyday and you will never learn all there is to know. I find
that enormously refreshing
There are many other Agaves that will survive outdoors and
are good candidates but that's a subject for another book.
I've chosen an Agave that is relatively dependable and
survives in its native range with frost, snow and rainfall.
Here in the UK it has proved for me it can take the recent
tough winters - the dreadful 2010-2011 winter, in particular..
although, of course you may have had a different experience.
As I said right at the beginning, hardy in one location does
not mean hardy in yours. But as a recommendation for
growing - given the cultivation notes I've outlined, this is
probably your safest bet.
So, here it is then not just the Agave that in my opinion is
the hardiest but the two hardiest Agaves the two
Agaves that I consider to be the best for the British
climate they are probably the best for northern Europe
too

Agave parryi ssp

neomexicana

Agave parryi ssp neomexicana was for many years known by

the name Agave neomexicana until its reclassification in
1992 as a subspecies within the Parryi group.
Its natural range extends over southeastern New Mexico,
West Texas and across the border into the Mexican states of
Coahuila and Chihuahua. It can be found growing in the
Guadalupe mountains at elevations as high as 2600m and
further north in the Sacramento Mountains to elevations of

2300m and forms the extreme northeastern range of the

Parryi group. Throughout its range it grows in several
diverse habitats from Chihuahuan desert scrub and
grasslands at low elevations up through rocky arrays of
limestone to subalpine mountain slopes often under an open
canopy of pine and oak, including Pinus monophylla, Pinus
ponderosa and Quercus gambelii.
At high elevations it can experience winter temperatures
down to a mind-numbing -28C. These are temperatures we
never experience in the British Isles. In the higher rainfall
and moister atmospheric conditions of the UK winter,
somewhere between -12C and -15C can be considered its
limit. Like all Agaves it needs perfect drainage and the drier
it is kept in winter, the better.
Agave parryi ssp neomexicana has slightly thinner, shorter
leaves than its type species, a more open, less compact form,
larger flowers and a greener, less glaucous colouration. It can
be a solitary species with a very striking symmetrical form
but it is more common to find it producing numerous
offsets and this can start occuring in plants as young as two
years old. It is quite startling to see such prolific formation
of offsets in plants so young.
The hearts of Agave parryi ssp neomexicana (along with
Agave parryi ssp parri) were baked in earth-ovens by the
First Nations people of the mountain forests of New

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Mexico - the Mescalero Apache - and formed a staple of

their diet. The Agave hearts were harvested before flowering
when their sugary carbohydrate levels were highest, cut free
from the fierce surrounding thorny rosette and roasted in
the earth-ovens. When cooked they were dried and stored
for future use. Fire-pits and earth-ovens have been found all
over the American southwest but you may prefer to enjoy
the noble sculptural beauty of their rosettes rather than eat
them.
Give it the best cultivation - as outlined above - that you
can: it is the most reliable Agave for the cold wet conditions
we get here in the UK.
Read more about Agave parryi ssp neomexicana

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Agave parryi ssp

parryi

Agave parryi ssp parryi, (Parry's Agave), is my second

recommendation. It is the type species of the Parryi group, a
medium-sized Agave with a large extended range. It is found
throughout north and central Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas and over the Mexican border into Chihuahua,
Durango and Guanajuato. It forms exceptionally beautiful
rosettes of greyish blue-green leaves with black marginal
spines tinged with red and a black terminal spine. The broad
leaves are slightly concave on the upper surface and together
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with the tightly packed rosettes give Agave parryi a

particularly handsome compact symmetry. In time the
rosette will grow to about 60cm across which is a good size
for most UK gardens. In its native habitat Agave parryi can
grow to over one metre in width. With its wide geographical
range Agave parryi can be somewhat variable in form but all
are very beautiful. Most importantly however, is its
exceptional ability to tolerate extremes of temperature
together with some winter moisture. Snow melt is a regular
part of its winter experience in much of its natural range.
Given good drainage it is capable of surviving severe freezes
and heavy snow. In its native range it is often found at high
elevations where it experiences frost, snow and rain with
temperatures down to an at least -20 C and probably lower.
In winter much of the moisture around its roots is from
snowmelt.
As always, the key to success is to ensure it has a very freedraining substrate as previously outlined. Although it will
tolerate some wetness around its roots it is always better to
keep it as dry as possible during the winter. Never just
assume it will survive. Be sensible and take necessary
protective measures if necessary.
Read more about Agave parryi ssp parryi

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John Edmiston is a writer, artist, photographer,

psychotherapist and horticulturist. He is passionate about
exotic gardening and is the wild-eyed visionary and driving
force behind Tropical Britain. He has been growing Agaves
for longer than he cares to remember. He built - with just a
little bit of help from his Dad - his first glasshouse when he
was twelve.

All Rights Reserved. The text and photographic images are copyright.
2015 John Edmiston for Tropical Britain

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