Acers from Junker's Nursery (2)

Agave

Many of our regular customers will have met my son Torsten over the years. As mentioned elsewhere in these pages, he has now left school and joined us on the nursery. Although happy to work with us, he also has his own (often eclectic!) interests...one of which is Agave and Dasylirion. I am delighted therefore to include the plants here for your temptation. He sourced the seed some years ago whilst still at school and has patiently grown these plants on to become the rather magnificent specimens you see today. I will hand you over to him now to give you the all-important details.

All the plants offered on this page are native of south western USA and northern Mexico and are reputedly winter hardy in western Europe. However please note that we cannot give any guarantee that these will indeed prove winter hardy in your local climate/microclimate!

These have been raised from seed and natural selection during the last couple winters has ensured that these plants give you the best chance at growing them outside in a favoured spot with good drainage. These have flourished with minimal winter protection, despite ambient temperatures dropping to at least -17ºC. All these species can potentially be successfully grown outside if in a very well-drained, preferably stony soil (this can be aided with overhead protection from winter rains if necessary), particularly in areas of the country typically receiving a lower winter rainfall.

The cultivation of these plants outside in temperate climates is still in a more or less experimental phase, especially due to the rarity of many of these species in cultivation. Thus, if you would like to be on the safe side, all of these will grow very happily in pots which can be left outside in summer and moved indoors (into a porch/conservatory/glasshouse or similar) when harsh weather is due. As with borderline hardy plants from many genera, the key to success is often good drainage as opposed to the common misconception of temperature being the defining factor.

See also Dasylirion.


	Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba’ This forms a neat compact rosette of silvery blue leaves with white markings in the middle of the leaves. Currently one of the most desirable of all Agave.

	Agave americana 'Mediopicta Aurea’ This fabulous cultivar is highly desirable and forms a neat compact rosette of silvery blue leaves with creamy markings in the middle of the leaves.

	Agave colorata A highly desirable small to medium Agave, forming a rosette of broad leaves which, with maturity, show gorgeous cross banding and bud imprints over a soft blue background colour.

	Agave deserti

	Agave ensifera Sometimes known as A. lophantha ssp. latifolia, this gorgeous species has shorter wider leaves than the superficially similar A. univittata, with a lime-green midstripe and white marginal spines making a lovely dense rosette.

	Agave geminiflora This high altitude Agave comes from Nayarit, Mexico. It forms a dense rosette of long narrow leaves with a spine at each tip. As the plant grows, the leaves gain lovely filiferous white edges.

	Agave marmorata This is an amazing mid-sized species from Oaxaca, Mexico which with size and age achieves remarkable broad leaves which are distinctly striped across the width with pale blue and greyish green bands. A remarkable species rarely offered!

	Agave ovatifolia This breath-taking species is a truly phenomenal Agave, originally discovered and introduced to horticulture by renowned Texas plantsman Lynn Lowery from Nuevo Leon, north-eastern Mexico, where it grows in a small, rugged mountain area between an astonishing 1100 and 2100m. It will with time form a rather large, solitary plant with broad, lightly keeled, powdery grayish white leaves in a dense rosette that can reach up to 2m across. In cultivation it is well adapted to temperate climates. Best of all is that not only can it take drought and very severe freezes without damage, it will also hold up well in cold and damp winters if excellent drainage is provided, outperforming most other Agave in this respect. For any Agave afficionado, this is a must-grow plant! Seldom offered, this is possibly my favourite of all Agave species and regarded by many as the most magnificent Agave in cultivation!

	Agave unnivittata A sought after species (sometimes known as A. lophantha) with fantastic markings, this great Agave forms an open rosette of narrow rigid leaves. Each leaf has a distinct pale green mid-stripe which complements the rich green colour of the rest of the leaf and the numerous recurved spines down the margins.

	Agave victoriae-reginae This is an extremely slow-growing but tough and fantastic Agave from northern Mexico. It forms solitary, compact and very regular rosettes (rarely exceeding 50cm in diameter and 25cm in height) of short, thick, dark green leaves with an intricate pattern of unique white markings and beautifully edged with distinctive, brilliant white-margins.