Agave Species, Artichoke Agave

I am in the trade, and used to get agave parryi when the grower thought they were about to bloom, hence would die shortly after. I enjoye...Read Mored them for a while, and sometimes he was wrong. My last two lived a couple of years before blooming, but neither one set off pups. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and why this would be the case. Mine are in a rock garden almost entirely rock, so perhaps not enough soil, but it didn't stop the other species from setting out way too many pups. I'd like to keep a few of these growing all the time from offshoots if possible.

Very beautiful plant, grows very well in Colorado. Make sure it is in full sun, or else it won't grow to it's full size. I am at 5, 300...Read More ft above sea level, and the sun is out every single day. We get about 300+ days of sun a year, and are in a high desert climate.

I have not grown this plant, but I just had to post this description of it because of the second sentence:

"Finally, we ar...Read Moree able to offer what is considered one of the most beautiful of all the agaves. A. parryi ssp. truncata has a very limited distribution, found only from Durango, Mexico, where it can best be described as short, fat, blue, and producing lots of offspring. Come to think of it, that also describes most of the guys at the local saloon on Saturday night. ( :o) I just really chuckled here!) Each 18" wide x 18" tall robust clump is topped at maturity with a phallic flower bud which enlarges into a 3" diameter, 20' tall flower spike that could easily be used for a flagpole...we like horticultural multi-tasking. Remember: well-drained and dry in the winter months." Source - Plants Delight Nursery, Inc. which can be found on the internet.

Needs partial or light shade and a little extra water in the hottest summer months in the hotter dryer desert areas.