Variegated Agave

Variegated Agave (Agave americana 'Variegata') is a sculptural feature plant that survives conditions most plants will not. It builds a rosette about 1.5m tall and 2.5m across, with grey green leaves edged in a broad band of cream to gold that holds its contrast all year. It needs no watering once established and no feeding at all, which is why it turns up in gravel gardens and poolside beds.

Why you'll love it

• Architecture, not maintenance. The shape does the design work. No pruning, no feeding and no watering schedule once the roots are down.
• Variegation that lasts. The gold edge on every leaf holds through summer and winter, so it carries a bed with no flowers involved.
• Frost hardy and heat hardy. It takes genuine frost as well as reflected heat off paving and rendered walls.
• Coastal and poor soil proof. Salt air, sand and thin rocky ground all suit it, and it grows where irrigation never reaches.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One rosette in a gravel bed or against a rendered wall is usually enough. Allow the full 2.5m of width from the start, because moving an established agave is unpleasant work.

Poolside and coastal gardens. It drops almost no litter into a pool and does not mind salt or chlorine splash. Set it back at least a metre from the water's edge and from any path, because the leaf tips are sharp.

Rockeries and large pots. A pot 500mm or wider holds it well under 1.5m for years. Use a cactus and succulent mix, make sure it drains freely, and shift it under cover through a wet summer.

Growing Variegated Agave in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens, and it is frost hardy once established. Constant wet season humidity rots the crown, so it is not a plant for the wet tropics.

Soil. Free draining, and poor is fine. Sand, gravel and rocky ground are ideal. On clay, plant high on a mound and mulch with gravel rather than bark so the base stays dry.

Water and feed. Water every two weeks for the first two months, then stop. Established plants live on natural rain across almost all of Australia. Do not feed it: rich conditions produce soft leaves that lose their shape.

Pruning. Only remove old lower leaves as they brown off, cutting close to the stem with long handled secateurs. Wear leather gloves, eye protection and long sleeves, because the spines are sharp and the sap irritates skin.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are grown: 200mm plants in packs of six, and single plants in 300mm, 400mm and 500mm pots. The 200mm packs suit rockery work or a run of matching pots. A 300mm plant is a good garden starter, and the 400mm and 500mm sizes arrive as substantial rosettes with presence on day one.

Agaves travel better than almost any plant, because the leaves carry their own water, and some tip damage in transit is normal. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Growth is slow, so expect three to five years to approach full size, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Agave garden ideas: choosing by size, spines and position
• Browse the full agave range
• Succulents for hot, dry gardens
• Plants that suit a poolside bed

Common questions

Is it safe around children and pets?

Not really. The leaf tips are needle sharp and the sap irritates skin and eyes, so plant it well back from paths, play areas and dog runs. Many gardeners snip the tip off each spine near a walkway.

How much room does one plant need?

Allow 2.5m of width and 1.5m of height. It is easier to give that space now than to dig out a mature rosette in five years.

Does it die after flowering?

Yes. After many years, often a decade or more, the rosette sends up a tall flower spike and then declines. The offsets around its base continue on.