What will the Garden do with the Century Plant when it's done blooming? First, remove the flower stalk in sections, using a saw to cut through the thick fiber. Then, carefully remove the base of the old plant, leaving one of our plant's two pups behind to begin the cycle again.

Plant Information

Plant Profiles —
The Century Plant,
Agave Americana

Last bloom period: July 2010

Native to North America, this giant agave can be found in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Century Plant is a hardy survivor, tolerating both heat and drought for long periods of time. Growing roughly 6' by 8-10', this desert gem has gray-blue succulent leaves with long, recurved spines that grow in a basal rosette. Each of the leaves ends in a one-inch or longer tip spine, giving this plant plenty of protection against curious animal predators. Equally deterrent, the sap of this plant contains toxins that can produce a painful and long-lasting contact dermatitis for gardeners!

The enormous agave is a monocarpic plant. After 10 years or more — though not a century — at the end of the plant's life cycle, a lofty asparagus-like flower stalk is produced, reaching a height of 20-30 feet, with horizontal branching structures ending in panicles of 3-4" green to pale yellow blooms. After blooming, the plant dies, leaving offsets or 'pups' at the base, which begin a new life cycle. Century Plant is propagated by detaching and transplanting the well-rooted pups from the base, or by plantlets formed on the flower spike.