Salt Lake City, UT (Zone 7b) | April 2022 | positive
I have been growing the rare blue form of Agave lechuguilla in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b) for 10 years now, with absolutely no protec...Read Moretion. I have had no problems whatsoever with the normal green form, and a very rare blue form special ordered from Italy. My large mature blue specimen has been through about 8-9 F without even a spot, or discolored leaf/stem. I even have mine in partial sun, as it only gets sun from sun rise - till about 2 p.m. It gets blocked by a large Southern Magnolia for the most intense sun of the day, and it has still grown (relatively) fast and vigorous for me. I amended the soil with 50/50 sand and native alkaline clay, and I think that has definitely helped with hardiness a little bit due to sharp drainage. I have also found with Agave lechuguilla and basically any Agave, weekly watering MASSIVELY increases the growth rate. Agaves are known to be drought tolerant, but that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a little more water! I would only attempt this if you live in a desert climate with sharp drainage, but it seriously makes a huge difference. This is definitely a really pretty clump forming agave, and this species fits right in with any Southwestern/Mediterranean landscaping. They also look very reminiscent of some sort of species of Aloe to me, which adds a ton to the appeal in my book as there are no Aloes hardy to zone 7b. Overall this is a really unique and great medium sized Agave for Utah (zone 7 +) , and the rest of the desert Southwest.
Cold hardy varies with this species. Some would die at lower temperatures ( 5 F or 10 F ) and some would be hardy to zone 6A , 6B. Plant...Read Mores selections from new mexico have endured -10 F when fully dry.
Cincinnati, OH (Zone 6b) | October 2005 | positive
Well this may seem a strange positive but...I bumped into one of these in CA.
Got a nice puncture wound in my thigh.
Be car...Read Moreeful around this one! lol
They do though grow well in Containers and are very impressive at maturity.
Sometimes confused with Agave lophantha.
A. lophantha's leaves are wider and flatter in the middle.
Some A. lechuguilla's h...Read Moreave a stripe in the middle mostly on younger offsets, though faint, but A. lophantha always has the brighter stripe on the average and sometimes faded. The marginal leaf thorns are really close on both but different shape. A. lophantha dosen't have the dark broken streaks on the outside of the leaf like A. lechuguilla always has, though they fade as the plant ages.
Additional synyonyms:
Agave caerulescens
Agave lophantha var. angustifolia
Agave lophantha var. brevifolia
Agave lophantha var. caerulescens
Agave lophantha var. gracilior
Agave lophantha var. pallida
Agave univittata var. angustifolia
Agave univittata var. brevifolia
Agave univittata var. caerulescens
Agave univittata var. gracilior
Agave univittata var. subcanescens
Agave univittata var. tamaulipasana
A tall, narrow cluster of flowers growing from a basal rosette of erect, rigid, sharply pointed leaves. These leaves are 12" to 20" long ...Read Moreand about 1" wide. They are pointed and very formidible. It was a dangerous obsticle to early explorers. The sharp leaves cut the horses' legs and any rider who fell into a clump could be impaled. Today, the small leaves of this plant can puncture the tires of off road vehicles.
Native Americans obtained fibers from the leaves and wove baskets and twisted it into a rope like substance.
This vicious looking spiny plant has long, stiff, nearly round, spike-like, simple leaves ending in a very sharp, large spine. It is a n...Read Moreasty looking plant and quickly suckers to make a nasty looking hedge. Quite cold hardy and can survive in a wide range of conditions. It has been used in Mexico as a source of soap and very strong fiber called istle. Poisonous to cattle (not sure why). Frequently used in crosses with othe agaves.
I have been growing the rare blue form of Agave lechuguilla in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b) for 10 years now, with absolutely no protec...Read More
Cold hardy varies with this species. Some would die at lower temperatures ( 5 F or 10 F ) and some would be hardy to zone 6A , 6B. Plant...Read More
Well this may seem a strange positive but...I bumped into one of these in CA.
Got a nice puncture wound in my thigh.
Be car...Read More
Sometimes confused with Agave lophantha.
A. lophantha's leaves are wider and flatter in the middle.
Some A. lechuguilla's h...Read More
A tall, narrow cluster of flowers growing from a basal rosette of erect, rigid, sharply pointed leaves. These leaves are 12" to 20" long ...Read More
This vicious looking spiny plant has long, stiff, nearly round, spike-like, simple leaves ending in a very sharp, large spine. It is a n...Read More