I tried a couple Agave parryi in zone 5. Didn't work. One died completely. The other lost all its leaves. It sprouted a few new leaves the next spring. I put the survivor back in a pot.

I don't think you'll find a plant like in the picture surviving a dry zone 4 winter. Really skeptical.

Thanks for the input Derek and polypom :) I had pretty much written off agave, given our climate... maybe I'll try a couple; a Utahensis and maybe another, see how it goes.

That paryii is just freaking gorgeous, but I may be stuck with yucca LOL

kd

bunkfree_4a_canada Check out FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/zonepushers/ .. I think there was success with Agave in zone 4 Canada, it seems that it has to be protected from moisture in winter, even snow or melting snow probably.

I don't know what your zones are but I grow A. parryii outside in our winters. Our winters are cold and wet, with frosts during the winter. We don't have snow. I have several other Agave species which are also growing outside without any issues.

Thanks for the heads-up Landscape Gardener, I’ll check that out.

s g

my zone is in the foothills and we get chinooks all winter - it can swing from -30C to above zero in 24 hours. It’s crazy. We get lots of snow, but it melts off routinely in the chinooks (always fun when it freezes into black ice and snows again, heh). Our first frost is mid-September, and we can’t count on frost-free until late May. Makes gardening challenging!

Agave havardiana is supposed to be the cold-hardiest.

They will survive the temps but need absolute drainage, I can't grow them here in zone 7 because our winters are too wet and temps too variable even though we rarely get down to zero, the roots rot away. Kept one 3 years once but it slowly faded away.

bunkfree_4a_canada It was an another fb group ..cold hardy cacti and succulents of canada https://www.facebook.com/groups/1624395344443940/. Agave is mentioned to be in zone 5, it was tried first 2 years in a succulent garden and apparently the soil was the same as for the cacti, very well drained, but did not make it, the center of the plant rotted away. Then a rain cover for the winter was put in place, a simple plastic dome ..it worked and the agave has been growing well since. Agave's grown are Parryi, Lechuquila and Utahensis.

I'm gonna possibly try some Agave utahensis or havardiana this year...I'm in zone 4A, but also in a quite dry area that has success with other desert plants (Opuntia/Mammillaria).

Devin, Make sure you give them a good start. A well grown plant that is established will always do better then a young newly planted stock. You may have to plant it in a large pot and bring in the first few winters. I'm in zone 6 and I can't grown any outside year round.

You need a minimum of Zone 7 for these in the WET EAST, then, it's possible with a few species and good placement (soil drainage, microclimate, etc.). May be different in drier areas that experience even colder winters. I've seen established/flowering ones on Long Island (Zone 7a/b) and have seen cold hardy species sold in local nurseries, but xerophytic/arid gardening is not really my thing so never really was interested.

most of agaves can survive if dry, outside. but they need special well dreined soil. But variegated can't for sure. They are too tender for it:).

In my case in wet zone 6, I grow many yucca. They are variegated and look great. Also some Foxtail Lily (Eremurus) Agave like. The foxtail lily bloom soon after planting and look great.

I was talking about variegated agaves. unfortunately in Bulgaria they don't survive outdoor, only indoor... Yucca - we have a lot here:). they survive:)

I don't own any as yet but heard Agave toumeyana 'Bella' is said to be hardy in zone 5?

Just bought one while looking it up. Will keep as a house plant.

This is too cool! I am in Southern Ontario that would be great to grow one outdoors.

On Ebay @ $13.99 plus free shipping. Couldn't resist. Not as nice as Agave schidigera Royal Flush but is hardier.

Both are small enough to make great house plants.

A. toumeyana is good down to about 15°F, so 8b.

There are legends of agaves that can survive -20°F, but that is as far as it goes. Most really cold hardy agaves are very sensitive to winter moisture.