Little did I know, back when I decided it was time to do a mid-winter agave report, that this week would bring a second round of chilling temperatures to the Pacific Northwest. It’s predicted to get just as cold (13F for the lowest low) but only last 3-4 days rather than the last one’s week+. But during the last go-round we went into the event straight off a nice long stretch of cold days to harden things off and send them dormant. The days leading up to this event have been downright spring-like, there are buds on shrubs and little leaves pushing up out of the ground. This is not going to be good. So on that note let’s look at the agaves and how they’ve fared thus far…
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From the shot above it hardly looks like there's been any damage right? Thankfully most all the spikes in this area are hanging in there quite well. My big happy bright green Puya coerulea is now crispy brown, but that was (sadly) expected. I’m really not looking forward to digging it out, or the creeping grevillea meandering all through this area which is slowing dying from the center outward.
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I cut off a few leaves from this agave (bottom center) just this morning, they were soft at the base and I didn’t want it to spread.
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Last spring I had so many assorted small agave pups I planted them out, around the garden. Most of them are mush now. This one appears to be holding its form but a nudge with a feather would send it sideways. It’s since been removed; I think it may have been A. scabra.
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There are four Agave parryi 'JC Raulston' in the front garden. The first was visible in the photo at the top. This is #2…
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#3…
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And #4, as you can see they keep on being a vision of spiky perfection.
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Most of the A. bracteosas look good too…
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Four or five A. americana pups I had spread around the garden turned to mush, however the large ones have all survived. Of course they were covered during the cold, the lone pups were not.
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However there is leaf damage. I removed the lower leaves today, no sense heading into sub-freezing weather with mushy appendages.
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Ditto for this one.
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The assorted Echinocereus and Maihuenia poeppigii are still solid.
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This A. bracteosa has some damage on its tips and where you see cracks some rot has begun, I need to remember to cut below the rotten bits asap.
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I think this is an Agave americana var. protoamericana, one of the bunch that came to me via the agave rescue mission. I cut off a bad arm recently but all in all he’s hanging in there quite well.
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One of several A. ovatifolia, they’re all doing great.
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Although this one lost a couple of arms.
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The healing wound.
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This is the second one of these variegated Agave americana ‘No Po’ that I’ve killed. Gifts from Sean Hogan they were pups from a legendary agave that’s survived years in North Portland. Not to be in my garden.
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Here’s another example of those little pups I planted throughout the garden. This one (perhaps A. havardiana) couldn’t be happier . I should also mention none of my many opuntia pads have turned to mush, no doubt due to our drier than normal conditions.
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This was a no-name purchase at the 2013 Cistus tough-love parking lot sale. Whatever it is it’s a survivor.
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The big potted A. weberi was moved into the (unheated) garage for the last go-round. I wonder if I can talk Andrew into wrestling it in there again?
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These guys went into the basement, which they will do again.
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A close-up of a mashed together planting in a container, so many things in there I need to rescue when I have time! It also went into the garage and most everything is happy…including the not hardy Sedum rubrotinctum.
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Because it was so easy to do these Agave parryi went into the shade pavilion greenhouse during the cold, other than that week they’ve been outside all winter and look great.
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So many spikes! Most of them are okay.
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The blue one at the bottom is the only small Agave americana to have survived.
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Happy Agave neomexicana (I think, there was tag damage during the rescue)…
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Ditto on the Agave americana “something” and the spiky Agave striata var. striata on it's right.
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Mushy A. americana 'marginata' has since been removed.
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Opuntia santa-rita is doing well.
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Isn’t that yellow dyckia remarkable? Ya, it’s dead (and it used to be purple).
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Thankfully the Cylindropuntia whipplei 'Snow Leopard' I paid a pretty penny for is still looking good.
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I thought maybe this small Agave americana stood a chance tucked up next to Sammy (the large Yucca rostrata). Nope…
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Everything here looks pretty good.
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Except the A. bracteosa the neighbor’s cat sat on.
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Oh and this poor little Echinocactus is obviously not happy.
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Things over here are a mixed-bag. That thin leafed plant in the upper center is a pup from an Agave striata I bought at Cistus years ago. Mom finally died in the winter of 2009/10 but it's progeny is doing quite well. There's another mushy (and since removed) variegated A. americana on the upper left.
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Mush on the A. gentryi ‘Jaws,’ which has all been cut away resulting in an ugly plant. We shall see what happens next.
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Baby A. parryi 'JC Raulston' and I believe pups from A. neomexicana, with some mushy arms.
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Finally bigger A. neomexicana with little to no damage to end this report. If you’re curious about how everything looked at its zenith check out the last agave report, filed in August of 2013, when life was good and winter was just a far awaydream nightmare.
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All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
From the shot above it hardly looks like there's been any damage right? Thankfully most all the spikes in this area are hanging in there quite well. My big happy bright green Puya coerulea is now crispy brown, but that was (sadly) expected. I’m really not looking forward to digging it out, or the creeping grevillea meandering all through this area which is slowing dying from the center outward.
I cut off a few leaves from this agave (bottom center) just this morning, they were soft at the base and I didn’t want it to spread.
Last spring I had so many assorted small agave pups I planted them out, around the garden. Most of them are mush now. This one appears to be holding its form but a nudge with a feather would send it sideways. It’s since been removed; I think it may have been A. scabra.
There are four Agave parryi 'JC Raulston' in the front garden. The first was visible in the photo at the top. This is #2…
#3…
And #4, as you can see they keep on being a vision of spiky perfection.
Most of the A. bracteosas look good too…
Four or five A. americana pups I had spread around the garden turned to mush, however the large ones have all survived. Of course they were covered during the cold, the lone pups were not.
However there is leaf damage. I removed the lower leaves today, no sense heading into sub-freezing weather with mushy appendages.
Ditto for this one.
The assorted Echinocereus and Maihuenia poeppigii are still solid.
This A. bracteosa has some damage on its tips and where you see cracks some rot has begun, I need to remember to cut below the rotten bits asap.
I think this is an Agave americana var. protoamericana, one of the bunch that came to me via the agave rescue mission. I cut off a bad arm recently but all in all he’s hanging in there quite well.
One of several A. ovatifolia, they’re all doing great.
Although this one lost a couple of arms.
The healing wound.
This is the second one of these variegated Agave americana ‘No Po’ that I’ve killed. Gifts from Sean Hogan they were pups from a legendary agave that’s survived years in North Portland. Not to be in my garden.
Here’s another example of those little pups I planted throughout the garden. This one (perhaps A. havardiana) couldn’t be happier . I should also mention none of my many opuntia pads have turned to mush, no doubt due to our drier than normal conditions.
This was a no-name purchase at the 2013 Cistus tough-love parking lot sale. Whatever it is it’s a survivor.
The big potted A. weberi was moved into the (unheated) garage for the last go-round. I wonder if I can talk Andrew into wrestling it in there again?
These guys went into the basement, which they will do again.
A close-up of a mashed together planting in a container, so many things in there I need to rescue when I have time! It also went into the garage and most everything is happy…including the not hardy Sedum rubrotinctum.
Because it was so easy to do these Agave parryi went into the shade pavilion greenhouse during the cold, other than that week they’ve been outside all winter and look great.
So many spikes! Most of them are okay.
The blue one at the bottom is the only small Agave americana to have survived.
Happy Agave neomexicana (I think, there was tag damage during the rescue)…
Ditto on the Agave americana “something” and the spiky Agave striata var. striata on it's right.
Mushy A. americana 'marginata' has since been removed.
Opuntia santa-rita is doing well.
Isn’t that yellow dyckia remarkable? Ya, it’s dead (and it used to be purple).
Thankfully the Cylindropuntia whipplei 'Snow Leopard' I paid a pretty penny for is still looking good.
I thought maybe this small Agave americana stood a chance tucked up next to Sammy (the large Yucca rostrata). Nope…
Everything here looks pretty good.
Except the A. bracteosa the neighbor’s cat sat on.
Oh and this poor little Echinocactus is obviously not happy.
Things over here are a mixed-bag. That thin leafed plant in the upper center is a pup from an Agave striata I bought at Cistus years ago. Mom finally died in the winter of 2009/10 but it's progeny is doing quite well. There's another mushy (and since removed) variegated A. americana on the upper left.
Mush on the A. gentryi ‘Jaws,’ which has all been cut away resulting in an ugly plant. We shall see what happens next.
Baby A. parryi 'JC Raulston' and I believe pups from A. neomexicana, with some mushy arms.
Finally bigger A. neomexicana with little to no damage to end this report. If you’re curious about how everything looked at its zenith check out the last agave report, filed in August of 2013, when life was good and winter was just a far away
All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.