They Remind Me Of Swans

 Multiple Agave attenuatas in bloom, seen at a local shopping center back in January.  The flower spikes remind me of swans.




 

Comments

  1. Excellent photos! And just think of all the little bulbils to come...

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    1. No bulbils on attenuata. But plenty of offsets. They are a giveaway plant here.

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  2. A fantastic scene, made much more dramatic by the number massed. I wonder how many seasons the agaves were in place before bloom, because there'll have to be a mass replanting... Or maybe it's already happened?

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    1. They were there quite a while, 10 years at least I think. There are plenty of offsets, so I don't think they will be short of plants.

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  3. Yes, forget the references to the tails of foxes - they should be called swan neck agaves!

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    1. Not enough foxes around here to inspire that name, for sure.

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  4. Beautiful these Agaves, I also have seen them on Madeira a few weeks ago.

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    1. Ain't it? They nod slightly in a breeze, as well, creating a lovely dance.

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  6. How tall are they? Do the 'beaks' menace your head and shoulders?

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    1. The "beaks" are about head-high, but they are soft and succulent in texture, covered with delicate flowers, so not as menacing as a real swan! The tallest were about 10'. A patch of well grown, happy plants.

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  7. I totally agree - they DO look like swans. I love how they are all blooming together! There is a kind of invasive, white-blooming crook-necked flower (Lysimachia clethroides) that offers a similar effect but the scale of the flowering Agaves takes it to a steroidal level. Super duper cool!

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    1. And they are huge, too, so even better. Something like giant Eremurus as well? Those don't grow here, either. Happy you enjoyed the scene. It was a delightful surprise to come upon this at a shopping center of all places.

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  8. They surely add a touch of drama to the planting don't they ?

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    1. Very well done commercial planting, I thought. Far superior to a lawn!

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  9. Oh my gosh. I have never seen such a bloom. It is so unusual. To see them lined up like that it is as though they were about to twine necks in a loving embrace. It is a scene from a collectors garden rather than a commercial area. Do those agave die after this huge bloom?

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    1. Yes the blooming rosette dies, but there are offsets, clones of the original, ready and willing to take their place and continue the show. It is a refresh and renewal.

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