Tuesday, March 6, 2012

doin’ double-takes…

During my requisite walk through the plant department on a recent trip to Home Depot I did a double-take. What’s that? A table of agaves!?...At a Portland Home Depot?
No, just Yucca filamentosa. I swear, for a moment I thought they were Agaves, maybe A. desmettiana.

My heart sank, but then I picked one up anyway. A girl can never have too many nice looking Yucca’s, right?
My next double-take involved these sizeable Phormium, noticing them reminded me how rare it is to see Phormium of any magnitude in Portland any more.
And that’s a shame.
Lastly I did a double take when I saw the name J.C. Raulston Agave the other day at Garden Fever.
Ever since J.C. came out as the clear winner in my battle “Agaves vs. Winter” I’ve been on the hunt, who knew they were hanging out right here at my neighborhood nursery? $19.99 though…they aren’t giving them away.
This one is nice looking one too, Frosty Blue Agave, or after a little research, Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue'….
“A Cistus introduction and new. This mega-century plant, first discovered by Lynn Lowrey in northeastern Mexico some 30 years ago and just named recently by agaveist Greg Starr, might be the largest of the cold hardy agaves, reaching eventually to 6-8' with beautifully formed, blue leaves. Our selection, made from a more recent batch, has a distinct, pale aquamarine hue with the classic shape of cupped, upright, and slightly outward bending leaves. The species has taken the cold and wet of Dallas TX, for instance, so upper USDA zone 7 for cold hardiness; possibly colder in gritty or dry soil. Fabo container plant.”

Have you done any double-takes recently?

27 comments:

  1. I thought agave too when I saw the picture of those yuccas! Can you believe if I tell you that I really have not done any major nursery scouring in a long time ... (well what seems like a long time)! I am on the hunt for one of those agaves but one of the local nurseries has agreed to do an order of plants from cistus for those who are interested... this could be dangerous - and danger as in both spending money I shouldn't and epic danger plants! There is something soo amazing about that agave "frosty blue." I think I most like the curvature in the arms. It has thus far been a winner for me. However, I have just experienced about two solid weeks of torrential downpours and have not been out much. here's to hoping my success carries into "real" spring.

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    1. Glad to hear it wasn't just me with those Yucca!

      Yay for your local nursery, that is wonderful. Great customer service! I can't wait to see (on your blog hopefully) what you order. It was hard to resist the biggest and best of those "frosty blue" Agaves, it was so beautiful. I did buy one of the JC's though. It even has a couple of pups I think I can successfully separate. Three plants for $19.99 isn't so bad.

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  2. Oooh, there's that Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' again. I'd do a double-take if I saw that one!

    I'm going to the first UC Davis Arboretum plant sale of the year this Saturday and they will have Agave parryi 'J.C. Raulston' for $7.50 for a 4 inch (!) pot. In light of that, $19.99 for a 1 gallon plant isn't that bad. I know from personal experience that it is one of the slower growing agaves so it takes a while to get them to a salable size.

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    1. That price $7.5 is more like what I paid for my first one. But you're right plus as I said above there are pups!

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  3. P.S. I did do a double-take last Saturday when I went to the opening of a new nursery and spotted this saguaro from a distance. It turned out it was a juniper :-).

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    1. I posted a similar photo last August from our Farwest nursery trade show. I think I was the only one who appreciated it! Oh..and then I also saw some planted by a car wash south of here...too funny!

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  4. This is odd...on your home page, only a few of your photos came up, now that I clicked to comment, all are showing. Oh, well.

    'Agaveist'? Did you coin that title, or is it legit?

    Could the phormiums be faring so well because of the reflected heat from the sidewalk and the wall?

    My double-take came last night as we were walking by the windows of Anthropologie near Powell's: a large container filled with fabric sculpture cacti!

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    1. Computers have ghost living in them that pull tricks like that, I just know it.

      That description was written by the fine folks at Cistus...thus I consider it legit! After all Mr Starr has a new Agave book coming out soon from Timber Press (read all about it here, in the future).

      I hope the windows at Anthropologie don't get changed out before I can see the fabric cacti!

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  5. I dont know if I could carry a 4-5' Agave into and out of the sunroom every winter. lol.

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    1. That's what hand-trucks are for! (my husband customized ours for moving containers around)

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  6. There seem to be so many agaves I can't tell one from the other anymore. I have 2 Whales Tongues and both a different. One very cupped the other not so much and it has a little pup struggling beneath it. The nursery swore that it was from seed and the seed grower swore it was A. ovatifolia. You just can't tell anymore. DId you say you were looking for A. desmettiana. I have the variegated one and could send you some but I have a feeling you are looking for the non variegated variety.

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    1. Oh yes...I agree. Especially with the proliferation of silly meaningless names! I never EVER say no to the gift of Agaves...but I do already have a couple of the variegated A. desmettiana and one of the non. If you are trying to get rid of them and don't have a local recipient in mind I'd be happy to give them a home, but I am by no means A. desmettiana-less.

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  7. And so did you get a 'Frosty Blue' Whale's Tongue agave? Inquiring minds...

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    1. No. Of course it's still haunting me, but the 2 A. ovatifolia I've got in the ground aren't all that happy...

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  8. 'Frosty Blue' definitely got the heart racing and then I read 'upper Z7....' Good God woman! What are you trying to do to me? I suppose in my Z5, it would be called 'Frosty Blue' for an entirely different reasoning! I was hoping you would succumb and take one home so I could admire it from afar, but the 'JC Raulston' will do just fine!

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    1. I know, I feel the same way when I read the California blogs. I'm sorry!

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  9. Swing by my blog and take a peek at the first picture, which is an old house I'm moving into in West Linn. There are several yucca's that I plan to rip out located in the front yard. If you want them or know someone that wants them, you can have them :) Cheers, Jenni

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    1. Thank you so much Jenni...you are kind! As I commented on your blog I think I've reached my quota of that type of Yucca...but anyone else reading this that might need some head on over to Jenni's blog and have a look!

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  10. I should have taken a picture of all the 3-5 gallon Agaves at San Marcos for you. Still my next blog post coming up (hopefully tomorrow) you are going to DIE when you see the Agaves.

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  11. Nice looking plants especially the Agave ovatifolia Frosty Blue. No recent double takes yet after our recent trip to Devon :)

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    1. Gosh you people are making me want to go back there right now and buy "Frosty"!!!!!!

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  12. OK...Phormium is not tough for the long-term in PDX. So, why not buy several of those Yucca filamentosa and create a stunning high groundcover mass, or foundation planting like the one you showed using NZ flax, except with something tougher like that yucca?

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    1. I like where you're going with this...I just wish that the Yuccas had the striking color that you can find in a Phormium!!!

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  13. i actually took a double take at your blog. LOVE the larger photos! i could gaze at that frosty blue agave, with its striking maroon edging and spines, all day!!

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    1. Ha-ha, thanks Laguna! (and another vote for Frosty blue...)

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  14. Hi! Well, I DO think agaves are on the rise even if they were yuccas at HD. I see more and more agaves at my local nurseries and I bought my first one (Agave 'Blue Flame') for a planter I want to do in my front this summer. I'm enjoying it inside right now. Have you heard of this one? Also, if you don't mind, since you have much experience with yuccas...can you recommend one that has a nice gold/green look that doesn't get too huge too quick? Needs to be able to make it in z6.

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