Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Ovata Bloom!

An Agave ovatifolia at The Antique Rose Emporium is blooming -- a very rare event.

Oh, what a bloom it is!


The bloom is about 20 feet tall since the base plant is over 5 feet high.
 
An email tip from a friend sent me to check it out.  There are at least two large Agave ovatifolia, also known as Whale's Tongue agave, in the gardens there.  This one is in a garden bordering the  lawn used for seating at weddings and special events at the Hacienda de las Rosas.


A unique backdrop for wedding photos.  The wedding party typically faces the set of wooden arches to the right of the agave.

  
Another look at this stunning beauty and the gardens around it.  Those are U.S. Navy F/A-18 Fighters flying past


A closeup of the blooms

 
This is the same Whale's Tongue agave I checked out in person before purchasing one here for my own front garden.


As with all agaves the plant will die when the bloom is finished, but the result will be numerous baby agaves.  I'm interested to see what they replace it with.  Meanwhile, I'll try to return a few more times to pay my respects before that happens.

21 comments:

  1. That agave has one stunning presence! Ah, to have a pup. Hope the few here in Abq mature like that.

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    1. I'll have to ask, but I'd guess the pups will be collected by the staff for their nursery.

      It should work there, it is very cold hardy having survived lows in the teens and snow here.

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  2. Wow, what a sight! Thanks for sharing this, Shirley.

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    1. You're welcome Pam! I know you have one of these beauties as well.

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  3. Definitely an event worth celebrating. What a statuesque beauty. Its life cycle reminds me of salmon and their heroic journey up-river to spawn and die. We have salmon here, but nothing like that agave.

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    1. It is a fascinating plant. Similar to salmon, the bloom is the spawning action.

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  4. Wow that is amazing. What a sight, even the US Air Force turned out to have a look. Does the main rosette die when it finishes flowering ?

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    1. Yes, the rosette turns brown and collapses from the top. Eventually it looks like a pile of banana peels.

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  5. Are they blue banana peels? he he

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  6. What a show! I actually saw one of these flowering several years back somewhere around Austin, and didn't quite know what it was, but it was impressive! Too bad it has to die after flowering.

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    1. They are amazing and there are so many this year.

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  7. Those agave blooms stalk are something to behold. Pam at Digging photographed two in my neighborhood a while back and both are beginning to bloom. Thanks for the photos.

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    1. There are a lot of agave blooms this year. I'm thinking the drought and warm winter might be a cause.

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  8. Love when agaves put the stalk out. This one is perfectily places. Sadly, it's perfection, pups....and then death. Those stalks get SOOO tall!!

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    1. You nailed it Chris, this one was just about perfect and I tried to visit it whenever I went plant shopping there even though it's about as far as you can get from the entrance. The form is very rose-like and I'm curious to see if they get another to fill the spot.

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  9. Wow....that's gorgeous, thanks for getting out there to take pictures!

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    1. My pleasure, DG. I have a tip on another special agave bloom so stay tuned.

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  10. Very nice. I have 2 5'wide ones in my garden. Getting some smaller ones started for when they bloom and disappear is on my to do list. I can't imagin not having them. They are tough cookies. Have you seen the crenelated Ovatas. I want one, no I want THREE!!!!!!!

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  11. Do the blooms have to be pollinated by another agave to produce viable seeds? I have a whales tongue agave that I think is going to bloom this year and I'm curious. Yes they are tough, I live in east TN and it has grown well here. Thank you.

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    1. The Whale's Tongue agave is native to a high elevation so it is quite tough and a great plant. My understanding is agaves are self-fertile. The stalks contain many blooms so pollinators move between individual blooms on the same stalk. Even in my town where agaves are prolific, it would be rare for the same variety of agave to bloom at the same time in proximity.

      I have two "spares" growing in my garden now so if the largest one blooms, I can move one of the others.

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