A Bit of Tao in the Xeric Garden: Agave and Grasses

There is something so alluring, so sculptural, so geometrically perfect in the shape of an Agave plant. One of the most exciting discoveries recently, here in the Intermountain Region, is we really can grow Century Plants.

Festuca glauca 'Boulder Blue'
Item # 52361 		Festuca glauca 'Boulder Blue'
Boulder Blue Fescue Grass

each $5.79
3 to 6 $5.59
7 or more $5.29
Agave toumeyana v. bella
Item # 12713 		Agave toumeyana v. bella
Miniature Century Plant

Each $7.49
3 to 6 $7.29
7 or more $6.99
Agave utahensis 'Peach Springs' Century Plant
Item # 12760 		Agave utahensis
Dwarf Utah Century Plant

each $7.49
3 to 6 $7.29
7 or more $6.99

Item # 99568 		Fabulous Fall Ornamental Grasses Sampler

Each $52.63
  • Topic: Succulents and Cacti
  • Author: David Salman
  • Keywords: agave, grasses, intermountain west
  • Date: February 2007

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One of the most exciting discoveries recently, here in the Intermountain Region, is we really can grow Century Plants. We mountain gardeners used to look wistfully at gardens in Arizona and along the west coast, wishing for those incredible Agave in our landscapes.

There is something so alluring, so sculptural, so geometrically perfect in the shape of an Agave plant. When plant collector/gardeners found and transplanted Agave from their high elevation habitats in west Texas, southern New Mexico, northern Arizona and in the deserts of the Great Basin, the cold hardiness of these species eventually became evident. Then if you combine grasses with Agave, you’ll have a most stunning plant combination in your garden.

Agave

Our High Country Gardens list for Agave for USDA zones 5-6 includes:

  • the ghostly white Agave parryi Flagstaff
  • the massive grey-blue A. havardiana
  • the highly variable A. utahensis and all its subspecies
  • the clustering grey A. neomexicana
  • the miniature treasure A. toumeyana v. bella

As you move into warmer winter zones of USDA 7 and higher, the number of species becomes much more extensive.

Best Sites

In the Western xeriscape, Century Plants are best planted where they can enjoy intense all day (or all afternoon) sun. Use the advantage of hot walls and enclosed walled gardens. Be sure the soil is well drained as standing water during the winter months will be the death of these plants.

Miniature Agave species—A. utahensis and A. toumeyana v. bella—are best planted in pots or trough planters next to benches and sitting areas where their elevated placement calls attention to their small stature.

Mulch and Care

Have fun using ornamental stone mulches. Polished black stone cobbles or racked Zen-style gravel are a perfect match under these living sculptures. Smaller nursery-grown Agave take 4 to 5 years to reach a large size. Help the plants along by fertilizing annually in early summer and irrigating every couple of weeks during the heat of summer. Be sure to stop watering in early fall as the plants must harden off for winter.

Companion Plants

Succulent groundcovers like Delosperma and Ruschia make superb companion plants beneath the spiny rosettes of Agave, softening and brightening the look.

Agave and Grasses

I am particularly enamored with the ornamental grass-Agave duo in my gardens. The yin/yang of nature: stationary vs. movable, hard vs. soft, fine textured vs. broad and bold is not my original idea. This combination is seen in their western habitats where the graceful desert Muly grasses grow right next to the huge Agave rosettes.

Grass and Agave Combinations

  • Muhlenbergia dubia with Agave parryi,
  • Blepharoneuron tricholepis with A. utahensis (Peach Springs collection)
  • Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ with A. havardiana.

You can grow these in containers as well, which is strongly recommended for gardeners in the high precipitation areas of the Midwest and Eastern US. Alternatively, you can surround a big growing Agave species with dozens of smaller growing Festuca glauca ‘Boulder Blue.’

Grass and Agave make a stunning vignette anytime, especially at sunset. Arrange plants and garden benches for summer viewing.