Back on January 28th (pre-winter temperatures and snow here in Portland), two boxes of plants arrived at my door.
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They were from Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens. You know what that means, right?
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Mangaves!
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Really, really cold Mangaves. It was in the 50's here, but still too cool outside for me to comfortably unpack them, so into the basement we went. I was ready to snap photos as I pulled them out of the boxes but they were still a little frozen from their travels, and there were mushy leaves. I decided to just leave them be for a few days while they warmed up and I could better assess the damage.
![]()
Then I set about cleaning them up and discovering just what was in the shipment. Looking at them it was obvious which plants were on the outside of the box, and even which side of the plant was against the cardboard wall.
![]()
After I cut away the dead leaves this one still looked pretty good.
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Not so much for this one. I let it be and even the center leaf went limp. In the end I tossed three plants that were beyond hope, Mangave 'Dreadlocks', 'Mission to Mars' and 'Freckles and Speckles'.
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I wish I knew exactly what temperatures they had to endure en route to my house. I know they left Wyoming, Michigan on Tuesday, January 22nd, hung out in Hodgkins, IL, for few hours, leaving on the 23rd and then showed up in Portland on the 26th (a Saturday) and were delivered to me on Monday. No scans and no info on where they were from the 23rd, until the 26th. No doubt working their way across a frigid countryside.
So let's take a look at what I got, shall we? Oh and if any of this seems familiar it's probably because Gerhard recently did a similar post over on Succulents and More. Except he didn't show you every single plant like I am, sorry. A girl needs a record! Here's the first group we'll look at, starting in the upper left hand corner but then jumping around a bit.
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Mangave 'Femme Fatale', Zone 9
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M. 'Tooth Fairy', Zone 9, this one might be very favorite.
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M. 'Falling Waters', which is listed as Zone 9 on the Walters Gardens website, and Zone 7 on the Plant Delights site, that's a pretty big spread.
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I think this one's gonna be tested in the ground, it's another fav (those teeth!), so I hope it does well for me.
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M. 'Blazing Saddles', Zone 9
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M. 'Mayan Queen', Zone 9, this one's looking pretty rough, but I'm hoping with a little TLC it will put on some new growth.
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In the very corner is M. 'Coffee Jitters', Zone 9
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'Coffee Jitters' is already producing pups.
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Next we've got Hansara 'Jumping Jacks', Zone 9, and no, "Hansara" is not a typo. Quoting from the Plant Delights website: "xHansara, named after our friend and mangave breeder Hans Hansen, is the first ever released tri-generic hybrid between Agave, Manfreda, and Polianthes (tuberose). xHansara 'Jumping Jacks' combines the genes of Agave gypsophila ssp. pablocarrilloi, Agave macroacantha, Manfreda maculosa, Polianthes tuberosa, and Polianthes howardii...whew, just thinking about all that sex makes me tired. xHansara 'Jumping Jacks' forms a 14" tall x 27" wide clump of narrow, succulent, grey-green foliage, sparsely spotted purple. When mature, which should take 2-3 years, expect a 6' tall, highly branched flower spike of lovely yellow flowers, but with an insignificant fragrance. Be sure to check both your state regulations and HOA covenants to make sure an outdoor menage-a-trois is permissible."...that's a lotta text for such a little plant...
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Mangave 'Whale Tale'. According to Plant Delights this is the love child of "Agave ovatifolia, Agave gypsophila ssp. pablocarrilloi, and Manfreda maculosa". And more hardiness confusion; they're (Plant Delights) listing it as a Zone 7 plant, whereas Walters Gardens says Zone 9. Plus when I've seen it available locally (one of the few Mangaves to be) it's listed as a Zone 9 plant. What the heck, I'm gonna treat it as Zone 7 and see what happens.
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M. 'Frosted Elegance', Zone 9
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And the next flat (Seriously, there's another! There were 27 plants in all, 24 that made it), starting with the front row which are all (surprisingly) Zone 8 plants. Left to right...
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M. 'Carnival', Zone 8
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M. 'Iron Man', Zone 8
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'Iron Man' really took a beating in shipment...
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But there are already pups!
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M. 'Bad Hair Day', Zone 7
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M. 'Snow Leopard', Zone 8
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Originally all I thought I'd be getting in this shipment were plants like this 'Snow Leopard', ones hardy in my Zone (8 and lower), so all of the "extras" were quite a surprise!
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And now the back two rows, starting in the lower right corner
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M. 'Blue Dart' Zone 9
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M. 'My Dog Spot', Zone 9
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M. 'Spotty Dotty', Zone 9
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M. 'Shadow Waltz', Zone 9
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M. 'Desert Dragon', Zone 9
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M. Desert Dawn', Zone 9
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M. 'Aztec King' which I couldn't find any info about online.
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Mangave 'Thunderbird', Zone 9
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M. 'Redwing', Zone 9
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And M. 'Painted Desert', Zone 9
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Last, but certainly not least (it was the largest plant of all), M. 'Navajo Princess', Zone 7
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This one is said to be a cross between Agave montana and Manfreda maculosa, neither of which have a creamy variegation though so I'm a little lost as to where that came from.
![]()
Anyway...that's a wrap on the Mangaves, but since you've already endured a super long post I thought I'd share another box that arrived just a couple of days earlier, this one from Joseph Tychonievich in Virginia. Seed grown Aloe striatula (aka Aloiampelos striatula)!!!
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Yes seriously. Joseph grew these babies from seed, and they're not even a year old yet!
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Look at those roots! He had them planted in a crevice garden in 6-8 inches of of 50/50 mix of sand and gravel. Obviously happy plants.
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And obviously happy me with all these new plants!
Weather Diary, Feb 18: Hi 44, Low 28/ Precip trace
All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
They were from Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens. You know what that means, right?
Mangaves!
Really, really cold Mangaves. It was in the 50's here, but still too cool outside for me to comfortably unpack them, so into the basement we went. I was ready to snap photos as I pulled them out of the boxes but they were still a little frozen from their travels, and there were mushy leaves. I decided to just leave them be for a few days while they warmed up and I could better assess the damage.
Then I set about cleaning them up and discovering just what was in the shipment. Looking at them it was obvious which plants were on the outside of the box, and even which side of the plant was against the cardboard wall.
After I cut away the dead leaves this one still looked pretty good.
Not so much for this one. I let it be and even the center leaf went limp. In the end I tossed three plants that were beyond hope, Mangave 'Dreadlocks', 'Mission to Mars' and 'Freckles and Speckles'.
I wish I knew exactly what temperatures they had to endure en route to my house. I know they left Wyoming, Michigan on Tuesday, January 22nd, hung out in Hodgkins, IL, for few hours, leaving on the 23rd and then showed up in Portland on the 26th (a Saturday) and were delivered to me on Monday. No scans and no info on where they were from the 23rd, until the 26th. No doubt working their way across a frigid countryside.
So let's take a look at what I got, shall we? Oh and if any of this seems familiar it's probably because Gerhard recently did a similar post over on Succulents and More. Except he didn't show you every single plant like I am, sorry. A girl needs a record! Here's the first group we'll look at, starting in the upper left hand corner but then jumping around a bit.
Mangave 'Femme Fatale', Zone 9
M. 'Tooth Fairy', Zone 9, this one might be very favorite.
M. 'Falling Waters', which is listed as Zone 9 on the Walters Gardens website, and Zone 7 on the Plant Delights site, that's a pretty big spread.
I think this one's gonna be tested in the ground, it's another fav (those teeth!), so I hope it does well for me.
M. 'Blazing Saddles', Zone 9
M. 'Mayan Queen', Zone 9, this one's looking pretty rough, but I'm hoping with a little TLC it will put on some new growth.
In the very corner is M. 'Coffee Jitters', Zone 9
'Coffee Jitters' is already producing pups.
Next we've got Hansara 'Jumping Jacks', Zone 9, and no, "Hansara" is not a typo. Quoting from the Plant Delights website: "xHansara, named after our friend and mangave breeder Hans Hansen, is the first ever released tri-generic hybrid between Agave, Manfreda, and Polianthes (tuberose). xHansara 'Jumping Jacks' combines the genes of Agave gypsophila ssp. pablocarrilloi, Agave macroacantha, Manfreda maculosa, Polianthes tuberosa, and Polianthes howardii...whew, just thinking about all that sex makes me tired. xHansara 'Jumping Jacks' forms a 14" tall x 27" wide clump of narrow, succulent, grey-green foliage, sparsely spotted purple. When mature, which should take 2-3 years, expect a 6' tall, highly branched flower spike of lovely yellow flowers, but with an insignificant fragrance. Be sure to check both your state regulations and HOA covenants to make sure an outdoor menage-a-trois is permissible."...that's a lotta text for such a little plant...
Mangave 'Whale Tale'. According to Plant Delights this is the love child of "Agave ovatifolia, Agave gypsophila ssp. pablocarrilloi, and Manfreda maculosa". And more hardiness confusion; they're (Plant Delights) listing it as a Zone 7 plant, whereas Walters Gardens says Zone 9. Plus when I've seen it available locally (one of the few Mangaves to be) it's listed as a Zone 9 plant. What the heck, I'm gonna treat it as Zone 7 and see what happens.
M. 'Frosted Elegance', Zone 9
And the next flat (Seriously, there's another! There were 27 plants in all, 24 that made it), starting with the front row which are all (surprisingly) Zone 8 plants. Left to right...
M. 'Carnival', Zone 8
M. 'Iron Man', Zone 8
'Iron Man' really took a beating in shipment...
But there are already pups!
M. 'Bad Hair Day', Zone 7
M. 'Snow Leopard', Zone 8
Originally all I thought I'd be getting in this shipment were plants like this 'Snow Leopard', ones hardy in my Zone (8 and lower), so all of the "extras" were quite a surprise!
And now the back two rows, starting in the lower right corner
M. 'Blue Dart' Zone 9
M. 'My Dog Spot', Zone 9
M. 'Spotty Dotty', Zone 9
M. 'Shadow Waltz', Zone 9
M. 'Desert Dragon', Zone 9
M. Desert Dawn', Zone 9
M. 'Aztec King' which I couldn't find any info about online.
Mangave 'Thunderbird', Zone 9
M. 'Redwing', Zone 9
And M. 'Painted Desert', Zone 9
Last, but certainly not least (it was the largest plant of all), M. 'Navajo Princess', Zone 7
This one is said to be a cross between Agave montana and Manfreda maculosa, neither of which have a creamy variegation though so I'm a little lost as to where that came from.
Anyway...that's a wrap on the Mangaves, but since you've already endured a super long post I thought I'd share another box that arrived just a couple of days earlier, this one from Joseph Tychonievich in Virginia. Seed grown Aloe striatula (aka Aloiampelos striatula)!!!
Yes seriously. Joseph grew these babies from seed, and they're not even a year old yet!
Look at those roots! He had them planted in a crevice garden in 6-8 inches of of 50/50 mix of sand and gravel. Obviously happy plants.
And obviously happy me with all these new plants!
Weather Diary, Feb 18: Hi 44, Low 28/ Precip trace
All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.