So here's a dumb question. When we were in Curacao last year, virtually the entire island was covered in agave plants that were in bloom. Gorgeous. Are agave and century plants one and the same or is there a varietal difference here?
Do they only bloom once a year or do they really bloom twice a year as I was told by a Curacaoan in his broken English (after he laughed at my pronounciation, and then corrected me by saying what I thought sounded like the exact same thing I'd said!)?
Brenda
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
We have agaves here in FL. There are many different types of agave -
century plant is one. Don't quote me on this, but I think that for all
of them, I remember a MG saying the part that flowers dies afterward, but
there are usually offsets (babies) that grow on for more plants. Most of
them take many years to flower, although I was told a century plant does
NOT take a whole century - just so long that it seems that way.
Karen on Sanibel
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
The blooms are amazing and attract all sorts of insects and hummingbirds, and then, as a result, the lizards. It was fun watching the hierarchy of lizards fighting for dominance and running up and down the stalks to the flower.
Brenda
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:05 pm
Subject: Re: dumb agave questions
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
It really was amazing. The whole countryside was covered with blooming agaves. That's why I asked about the blooming - I was wondering if we just hit it lucky or whether they bloomed every year. I was told they bloomed twice a year.
Now, when you say they take a century (or less) to flower, you mean the first bloom? Or is it that they only bloom once a century (or less)? If so, that would be a shame.
For those that have never seen blooming agaves, I have some pics in my Curacao album:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brenda_pink
Reminder too that the flower stalks on these suckers is 20-30 feet high.
Brenda
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:10 am
Subject: Re: dumb agave questions
> Must have been beautiful seeing that. I've only seen one century
> plant in bloom here. It was next to the used book store parking
> lot and created a lot of excitement the bookstore owner said.
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
Must have been beautiful seeing that. I've only seen one century plant =
in bloom here. It was next to the used book store parking lot and creat=
ed a lot of excitement the bookstore owner said.
Karen on Sanibel
-- BRENDA PINK
The blooms are amazing and attract all sorts of insects and hummingbirds=
, and then, as a result, the lizards. It was fun watching the hierarchy=
of lizards fighting for dominance and running up and down the stalks to=
the flower.
Brenda
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:05 pm
Subject: Re: dumb agave questions
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
There are lots of different types of agaves. We've got some green ones =
with yellow edges on our condo property. I don't know the variety name,=
they were given to me from someone's yard and she didn't know what they=
were. I've seen 4 or 5 different varieties of agave at neighboring pro=
perties. The century plant takes a loooong time (although not a literal=
century) to bloom. It sends up that gorgeous stalk, blooms once (first=
and only) although the flower stalk can last for months, and then the p=
lant dies. Not sure if the century agave sprouts other plants on the si=
de, but the striped agaves we have do. None of ours are big enough to b=
loom for years yet. =
If they said the ones you saw bloom twice a year, then they are probably=
different from the ones we have here.
Karen on Sanibel
-- BRENDA PINK
It really was amazing. The whole countryside was covered with blooming =
agaves. That's why I asked about the blooming - I was wondering if we j=
ust hit it lucky or whether they bloomed every year. I was told they bl=
oomed twice a year. =
Now, when you say they take a century (or less) to flower, you mean the =
first bloom? Or is it that they only bloom once a century (or less)? I=
f so, that would be a shame.
For those that have never seen blooming agaves, I have some pics in my C=
uracao album:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brenda_pink
Reminder too that the flower stalks on these suckers is 20-30 feet high.=
Brenda
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:10 am
Subject: Re: dumb agave questions
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
*********************************************
We may see on a spring day in one place more
beauty in a wood than in any garden.
~~William Robinson
*********************************************
