Gardening Guides
Great Design Plant: Parry's Agave
Don't let the spikes scare you away — this succulent is surprisingly friendly to gardeners whose landscapes lie beyond the desert
In the desert landscape, the agave is unrivaled when it comes to sculptural beauty and character — and it has a bonus culinary value. Native to the Southwest United States and Mexico, agaves typically thrive in climates similar to those found there: hot and dry. This poses a problem for many locales.
Agave parryi is a problem solver and a landscape gem. Its compact spread won’t dominate planting beds, and its glaucous green leaves are genus standouts. Cold hardy to almost 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s a spectacular succulent that will survive climates colder than that of San Diego or Scottsdale, Arizona.
More great design plants
Agave parryi is a problem solver and a landscape gem. Its compact spread won’t dominate planting beds, and its glaucous green leaves are genus standouts. Cold hardy to almost 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s a spectacular succulent that will survive climates colder than that of San Diego or Scottsdale, Arizona.
More great design plants
Distinguishing traits. It's easy to see how clean and compact A. parryi got its nickname "artichoke agave." Dusty blue leaves provide a cooling foliage foil to their usually dry and arid native landscape. Wide, fleshy leaves are topped and edged with sharp black spines, making the plant especially beautiful but potentially posing a landscape hazard. Simply site the plant out of arm’s reach if that is a concern.
Contrary to popular belief, agaves do flower more often than once every hundred years — though not much more frequently. The plant will produce a large central stalk when nearing 20 years of age, growing up to 15 feet tall with pink and yellow blooms. The central plant will die once it has finished flowering, as all of its energy has been directed toward this massive flower. A. parryi spreads through suckers, forming subsequent agave colonies that will continue to grow once the parent plant dies.
How to use it. Shown here in the Huntington Desert Garden in San Marino, California, alongside Golden Barrel Cactus, Agave parryi var. truncata has a rigid structure and intense color. Use it as an elegant desert specimen, cluster several together or simply showcase it in a patio planter.
Contrary to popular belief, agaves do flower more often than once every hundred years — though not much more frequently. The plant will produce a large central stalk when nearing 20 years of age, growing up to 15 feet tall with pink and yellow blooms. The central plant will die once it has finished flowering, as all of its energy has been directed toward this massive flower. A. parryi spreads through suckers, forming subsequent agave colonies that will continue to grow once the parent plant dies.
How to use it. Shown here in the Huntington Desert Garden in San Marino, California, alongside Golden Barrel Cactus, Agave parryi var. truncata has a rigid structure and intense color. Use it as an elegant desert specimen, cluster several together or simply showcase it in a patio planter.
A. parryi and a Euphorbia cultivar complement each other's unique qualities through contrast. Use A. parryi to make your bright plants appear brighter or their texture appear finer.
Planting notes. Native to regions in Arizona and northern Mexico, A. parryi is one of the most cold-hardy species of the agaves, giving gardeners in other regions the opportunity to grow these living desert sculptures.
Partial to gravelly and rocky climates, A. parryi thrives in well-drained soil and is tolerant of high elevations. It grows in full sun and partial shade. As with most agaves, there is relatively no additional maintenance required once it's established. To avoid root root, don't overwater. Be sure to remove the dead parent plant once it's done flowering so the successive colonies will continue to grow.
More great design plants:
Euphorbia | Red-Leafed Mukdenia | Blue Chalk Sticks | Hens-and-Chicks
Redtwig Dogwood | Toyon
Great design trees:
Australian Tea Tree | Dove Tree | Bald Cypress | Chinese Witch Hazel | Japanese Maple Manzanita | Persian Ironwood | Smoke Tree | Texas Mountain Laurel | Tree Aloe
Great design flowers:
Ornamental Allium | Canna Lily | Catmint | Golden Creeping Jenny | Pacific Coast Iris
Plumbago | Red Kangaroo Paw | Sally Holmes Rose | Slipper Plant | Snake Flower
Great design grasses:
Black Mondo Grass | Cape Rush | Feather Reed Grass | New Zealand Wind Grass
Partial to gravelly and rocky climates, A. parryi thrives in well-drained soil and is tolerant of high elevations. It grows in full sun and partial shade. As with most agaves, there is relatively no additional maintenance required once it's established. To avoid root root, don't overwater. Be sure to remove the dead parent plant once it's done flowering so the successive colonies will continue to grow.
More great design plants:
Euphorbia | Red-Leafed Mukdenia | Blue Chalk Sticks | Hens-and-Chicks
Redtwig Dogwood | Toyon
Great design trees:
Australian Tea Tree | Dove Tree | Bald Cypress | Chinese Witch Hazel | Japanese Maple Manzanita | Persian Ironwood | Smoke Tree | Texas Mountain Laurel | Tree Aloe
Great design flowers:
Ornamental Allium | Canna Lily | Catmint | Golden Creeping Jenny | Pacific Coast Iris
Plumbago | Red Kangaroo Paw | Sally Holmes Rose | Slipper Plant | Snake Flower
Great design grasses:
Black Mondo Grass | Cape Rush | Feather Reed Grass | New Zealand Wind Grass
Sponsored
DC Area's Award-Winning Interior Designer | 12x Best of Houzz
Common names: Parry’s agave, mescal, Parry agave
USDA zones: 5 to 9
Water requirement: Little to none once established
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 1½ to 3 feet tall and wide
Tolerances and environmental benefits: Drought tolerant, cold hardy