Last week I shared a few of my favorite yellow variegated plants, the soft ones. The ones that don’t want to draw blood or poke your eye out. This week stand back, grab a band-aid and (hopefully) enjoy as we look at the spikes…
This gorgeous Agave lophantha was a gift from a fellow Agave-addict, Gerhard. It was a pup from his plant, and just a year into living here, in my garden, I see it’s already sending out four pups at it’s base. You’ve got to love a plant that makes you more free plants.

I believe the difference is between Agave lophantha and Agave lophantha ‘Quadricolor’ is that on quadricolor the edges are a lovely pinkish red, which intensifies in the winter.

Agave americana ‘Variegata’, the “gold standard”…

Thanks to my brother who lives in Arizona I’ve got almost a dozen of these, but this is the biggest.

Agave desmettiana ‘Joe Hoak’ – he’s looking a little droopy. Must look into that!

Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’, my oldest Agave. It’s spent its 12 years with me in a container. I keep wondering when/if it will bloom.

Echinocactus grusonii, surely those yellow spikes count as a sort of variegation?

But I suppose I’m pushing it to call the glochids on the Opuntia microdasys variegation? Nah!…

Think a Phormium isn’t spiky? Tell that to my right eye. I stabbed it with the tip of a phormium leaf and tore into the tissue. It took years to heal, every morning after opening my eyes I would unconsciously rub them and bam! Sticky morning eyes would tear away the newly formed tissue covering the divot. Be careful out there in the garden!

I do wish I could tell you which Phormium this is, maybe P. ‘Yellow Wave’ or P. ‘Apricot Queen’?

On to the Yuccas! Yucca aloifolia ‘Variegata’, or at least that’s what I was told when I purchased it.

It really doesn’t get any easier than Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’.

This was a big box store purchase that was mislabeled. I think we’ve decided it’s Yucca gloriosa ‘Variegata’.

Yucca recurvifolia ‘Margaritaville’, this one bloomed the first year I had it, but never since. What’s up with that?

So…what are your favorite yellow variegated plants? Spiky or soft…

