Each nice origin story begins with somewhat thriller—and within the case of the mangave, it entails a desert rendezvous between two unlikely succulents. From seed wild-collected in Mexico within the late Nineties got here the invention of a pure hybrid between mottled tuberose (Manfreda variegata, Zones 7–10) and an agave, almost certainly Mitis agave (Agave mitis, Zones 8–11). The brand new hybrid genus was christened ×Mangave. The primary named mangave cultivar, ‘Macho Mocha’, was launched in 2004, inspiring plant breeder Hans Hansen to embark on a decades-long journey exploring mangave genetics. Hans has named almost 100 cultivars up to now, with ongoing efforts centered on variegation and chilly hardiness.
| AT A GLANCE |
x Mangave and cvs.
Current genetic evaluation signifies that species previously categorised as Manfreda correctly belong throughout the Agave genus. Because of this mangaves at the moment are all technically agaves, however the authentic nomenclature remains to be prevalent within the nursery commerce. Within the curiosity of readability, we’ve continued to make use of xMangave because the genus title, and mangave because the frequent title to distinguish this distinctive group of crops from conventional agaves.
Zones: 9–11, with just a few cultivars hardy to Zone 7b
Situations: Full solar; well-drained, poor to common soil
Native vary: Hybrids of North American species
Care: Keep away from overwatering and poorly drained soil, which canlead to root rot.
Propagation: New crops may be propagated from the bulbils or aerial plantlets that often type on flower stalks, or by separating and potting up the pups that type on the base of a blooming guardian plant.
Pests and illnesses: Whereas fairly rabbit- and deer-resistant, mangaves could also be broken by slugs and snails. In areas the place agaves are generally grown, preserve an eye fixed out for the agave snout weevil, an insect whose larvae burrow and feed on the core of the plant.
Rising ideas: Supplied with full solar and average water, mangaves thrive in pots or within the floor. In areas with chilly, moist winters, they are often overwintered indoors as houseplants.
TRIAL PARAMETERS
The Chicago Botanic Backyard evaluated 37 mangaves—all Walters Gardens introductions—in 2020 and 2021. Two people of every selection have been evaluated.
How Lengthy: 2 years
Zone: 6a
Situations: Full solar; grown in an ordinary potting combine in giant planters. The crops have been overwintered in greenhouses from October 2020 to Might 2021.
Care Given: Upkeep, consisting of weeding and watering when essential, was stored to a minimal. Within the first 12 months of the trial, the mangaves have been interplanted with annuals, which required extra water than the mangaves. By the second 12 months, the mangaves had grown too giant to permit area for seasonal crops and have been solely watered when wanted. Moreover observing the mangaves’ decorative traits, we monitored them to see how properly they grew and tailored to environmental circumstances, whereas holding a detailed eye on any illness or pest issues.
Agaves (Agave spp. and cvs., Zones 5–12) are New World succulents tailored to outlive in scorching, dry areas. They’ve inflexible evergreen leaves armed with vicious terminal spines. They’re monocarpic, which means they flower as soon as after a few years of development, then die. Tuberoses, or spice lilies (Manfreda spp. and cvs., Zones 7–10), are additionally North American natives however usually want extra water to develop properly. They characteristic rosettes of supple deciduous leaves and are polycarpic, which means that they will bloom yearly. Mangaves mix traits of every guardian, though some cultivars look decidedly like agaves—proper all the way down to the depraved spines—whereas others favor the softer look and recognizing of tuberoses.
Some mangaves are fast to flower in a 12 months or two, whereas others play it shy like agaves. The inexperienced, yellow, or pink flowers are fairly pretty, borne on burly asparagus-like stalks that may develop 3 to eight toes tall. Flowering usually causes the plant construction to loosen up and change into much less architecturally refined. I recommend sharing with associates the pups that type on the base of the plant. Left on, they will unbalance the beautiful symmetry of the primary rosette.
With their capricious blooming habits, mangaves are actually all in regards to the leaves—colours, patterns, spines, and textures—and the robust architectural kinds they create. Leaves could also be stiff or fleshy, slender or broad, patterned or stable, spiny or easy. The structure of the rosettes is because of the upright, arching, squiggly, or relaxed habits of the leaves and varies extensively amongst cultivars. Shades of blue and inexperienced are the leaves’ base colours, however they’re usually speckled, mottled, or suffused with purple or purple tints that change into richer with plentiful daylight.
Mangaves are low-maintenance and versatile backyard crops. They’re drought tolerant, however will thrive and develop properly with a average quantity of water, with a development charge that’s a lot quicker than most Agave species. When it’s time to carry them inside for the winter, bear in mind the spiny ones can poke you. Take pleasure in them in a sunny window when potential, or overwinter them in low gentle in a cool basement, the place watering about as soon as a month will typically be sufficient. I lately found a mangave I’d forgotten in my basement for 20 months, and it was nonetheless alive, inexperienced, and plump! By no means thoughts what this says about me as a gardener, or in regards to the state of my basement.
| ON THE HORIZON |
Hardier cultivars are within the works
When you can develop mangaves outdoors all 12 months lengthy, you’re a fortunate gardener. Most cultivars are chilly hardy to Zone 9, withstanding minimal winter temperatures round 25o F. However Hans Hansen, who has overwintered mangaves outdoors at Walters Gardens in USDA Zone 6a, has noticed that mangave hardiness is generally in regards to the crops surviving by way of winter wetness, quite than tolerating low temperatures. “In western Michigan, holding moist, sloppy, lake-effect snow off mangaves provides them a greater likelihood,” Hansen says.
In his trials, the winter-hardiest mangaves launched so far embrace‘Whale Story’, ‘Falling Waters’, and ‘Blue Mammoth’.
‘Redwing’, ‘Unhealthy Hair Day’, and ‘Everlasting Wave’ are the subsequent hardiestselections. Work is presently underway to develop future introductionsthat are even hardier.
Prime Performers Definitely worth the Funding
‘Aztec King’ has a commanding but elegant type. Every whorl of the broad, silvery inexperienced leaves arches to type a broad and rigidly upright behavior. At almost 2 toes tall and three toes broad within the second 12 months, it fell in need of being the most important plant—that honor went to ‘Navajo Princess’. We grew ‘Aztec King’ in full solar, so the burgundy mottling was fairly pronounced. This mangave produced just a few pups however didn’t flower for us.
Not like the stout formality of ‘Aztec King’, ‘Desert Dragon’ has a extra relaxed natural symmetry. The low-growing plant sported a kind of squashed behavior. The squiggly, undulating strains of the leaves are tentacle-like, giving the impression that the plant might scuttle away at any second. Its minty inexperienced leaves are generously freckled with burgundy spots and lined with small enamel. ‘Desert Dragon’ held its distinctive type as a result of it didn’t flower or produce pups within the trial.
‘Dreadlocks’ is a stouter and wavier model of ‘Desert Dragon’ however not a look-alike. Darkish inexperienced leaves with strongly undulating margins arch downward, making it excellent for cascading over the sting of a pot. Purple recognizing—strongest in full solar—coalesces into central stripes on the leaves. It boasted a low and broad behavior after two years. Mottled ‘Dreadlocks’ paired splendidly with the marginally unsettling yellow-and-purple button-like flowers of eyeball plant (Acmella oleracea, Zones 9–11), which each softened and accentuated the robust strains of the mangave.
‘Lavender Woman’ is simply the best mixture of delicate and harmful. Its behavior has main agave vibes, because of the refined rosette and cinnamon brown terminal spines. The smoky lavender tone comes from delicate purple spots that pepper the broad blue-gray leaves. This delicate, refined complexion heightens the perfection of the water lily–like behavior. Tiny white spines on the margins create a luminous shadow that additional mellows ‘Lavender Woman’. The pups have been as flawless because the mom plant however needs to be eliminated to protect its type.
‘Purple Folks Eater’ is a superb title for a colourful mangave. However as with all crops on this genus, leaf shade shouldn’t be simple. Burgundy speckles blush the blue-green leaves, giving them an general purple forged that intensifies in daylight. ‘Purple Folks Eater’ seems like a pricklier ‘Lavender Woman’ with a equally neat rosette behavior. Right here although, the rolled-up margins exhibit the colourful spines, which begin out yellow, flip cinnamon, and eventually change into darkish burgundy; the terminal spikes are cinnamon, too. Its robust structure alone warranted a excessive rating, however all the colours put it excessive. ‘Purple Folks Eater’ was pristine in the course of the trial however flowered a few years later within the greenhouse.
The toothy, silvery blue leaves of ‘Sponge Paint’ are purple-flecked and tipped with an orange backbone. The waxy coating on the quick, broad leaves makes waterdrops sparkle like quicksilver once they pool within the rosette. It was the smallest of the mangaves within the trial—8 inches tall and 14 inches broad; ‘Moonglow’ and ‘Frosted Magnificence’ have been additionally beneath 10 inches tall. Nevertheless, the almost 5-foot flower stalk of ‘Sponge Paint’ was jarring rising out of the tight, compact rosette. A draw back was the quite a few pups that crowded the mom plant however not within the charming means hens and chicks (Sempervivum spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8) nestle collectively.
‘Spotty Dotty’ seems freckled from any distance—the darkish burgundy spots present distinctly and plentifully towards the stiff inexperienced leaves. Its robust structure is paying homage to ‘Falling Waters’, which has leaves which might be solely faintly freckled. A number of broad, curvy, and barely undulating leaves give ‘Spotty Dotty’ its full behavior. The leaf ideas arch outward, whereas the margins fold up and are lined with rusty orange spines. Deeply red-leaved ‘Mission to Mars’ was a superb companion to the shorter ‘Spotty Dotty’—at 12 inches tall, it was about half the peak.
‘Tooth Fairy’ favors agave in behavior and texture, with eye-catching spines that flip from golden yellow to rusty orange to burgundy. It’s arduous to flee the depraved enamel—there’s even a pronounced imprint left behind as every whorl of the gray-green leaves unfurls. Don’t get me fallacious—the spines are a lot of its attraction, and that features the outstanding terminal spines too. The compact crops didn’t produce sufficient pups to damage the beautiful type. Sadly, the thick leaves have been brittle and simply broken throughout planting and transplanting. The robust behavior and colourful spines of ‘Tooth Fairy’ are a gorgeous foil to the playful colours and delicate strappy leaves of ‘Carnival’.
Contributing editor Richard Hawke is the director of decorative plant analysis on the Chicago Botanic Backyard in Glencoe, Illinois.
Wonderful Gardening Really useful Merchandise
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather-based Sheath Combo
Wonderful Gardening receives a fee for gadgets bought by way of hyperlinks on this website, together with Amazon Associates and different affiliate promoting packages.
MULTITASKING DUAL EDGES: a deep serrated edge and a tapered slicing edge superb for robust or delicate cuts. DURABLE 6-inch chrome steel blade withstands 300 lbs of strain. TWINE CUTTING NOTCH, DEPTH GAUGE MARKINGS & spear level – no want to change instruments when utilizing this backyard knife. LEATHER SHEATH: heavy responsibility, protecting, clip on sheath to maintain your knife handy and safe. LIFETIME WARRANTY.
