Agave montana

Zn 7. Resemble artichokes. Gray-green foliage.

Thought to be the most beautiful of agaves! Grows in the mountains of northeastern Mexico as an understorey plant in the pine oak forests. The large dense rosettes are grey-green with red thorny margins and terminals. This agave will take cold wet conditions like a champ. The perfect agave for the Southeastern US. Zone 7-10.

One of the most sculptural century plants from high elevations in Mexico, this is often sandwiched between the larger, higher elevation Agave gentryi and the lower elevation Agave scabra and can show characteristics of both growing with pines and oaks. 1½ - 2', heavily toothed rosettes are deep olive-green brushed with blue. Accepts average garden moisture provided excellent drainage. Sun; adapts to partial shade. 0 to 10 °F.

Discovered only a few years ago high in Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental, this fabulous large Agave is still just making its way into cultivation and remains rare. The large, toothy green leaves create white impressions in the surrounding leaves as they expand. Over time it can be expected to make a large globe to perhaps 5' wide of rather compact habit. In the wild, it grows in open pine forests as high as 10,000', where it is subjected to heavy frosts and snow. Thus, it is excellently suited to the climate of western Washington, provided drainage is adequate, and it can even tolerate partial shade. In eastern Washington, it easily survives 0 °F but is very unhappy about hot, dry summers without irrigation. If all that weren't enough, it is the only Agave native to Montana! Everyone in Wyoming is so jealous. Not really.