Everlasting metal agaves (if real agaves aren't for you)

I call out this post being on agaves, but then start with photos of metal barrel cactus. What can I say? I like to keep you guessing.

The first rusty metal stand-in for a real succulent or cactus that I remember seeing was a barrel cactus in my brother's previous Phoenix neighborhood.

Then during my 2018 Arizona visit we stopped at a place selling all manor of desert decoration along with a few rusty agaves in a basic style. Things have come a long way since those days, I couldn't believe all the different styles I saw on offer when we stopped at Retablo, a shop in Cave Creek, AZ, during my recent trip.

It was almost like when I discovered there were so many different agave species, not just the big blue Agave americana...

There was a style (and a finish) for everyone.

Rust in a can?

So what do you think? Regular (live) agaves, or rusty, never to rot (or succumb to agave snout weevil) agaves?

For me it's got to be the real thing.

My brother though, he's lost so many agaves to the evil weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus, see Gerhard's post for more information), as well as off-the-charts summer heat, that he's all for a metal everlasting agave or two. Here he was comparing the three at the back to decide which was his favorite (the colorful one in the front was not in the running).

Here's the winner at home, back by his shop (he's an old car guy). I was voting for the smaller pink/rusty one in the middle (above), but I have to admit he made the right choice. The white one looks so good with his metal shop building and the car "collection." He's previously tried to grow a couple different palms in this spot, but they just couldn't handle the harsh sun, heat and drought, even with an irrigation moat. 

That won't be a problem anymore.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

I timed it right for Botanic Garden plant sales in the desert

As I mentioned last week, my recent trip to Phoenix, AZ allowed me to shop the plant sale at the Desert Botanic Garden. The sale's logo includes a plant filled shopping cart...

But I was still surprised to see dozens of branded carts ready to be filled with plants. I think this might be a first for me.

Just inside the gate (I use that term loosely, there was no fee to shop, and thus no real "gate") were pallets of bare root plants.

Branched  2ft x 2ft Aloe plicatis, $375.

3-4 ft Aloe ferox, $500.

I've long had a crush on Aloe peglerae ($20), but I managed to walk away.

More large plants, these potted up.

Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo), $110.

Looking out across part of the sales area...

3 gallon Cereus forbesii 'Spiralis', $50.

15 gallon, $200.

The first blooming "agave cactus", Leuchtenbergia principis, that I've seen (didn't catch the price).

25 gallon Lophocereus schottii var. monstrosus, $325.

5 gallon Morawetzia sericata (Oreocereus doelzianus var. sericatus), $45.

This photo doesn't really show it, but there were so many fabulous agaves on offer!

1 gallon Agave horrida, $20. I wish I would have tried to squeeze this one into my luggage.

3 gallon Agave bracteosa 'Monterrey Frost', $45.

2 gallon Agave ovatifolia × victoriae-reginae, $25.

I thought I'd solved the puzzle on this crazy form of Agave victoriae-reginae (which I have one of).

But no. They were signed with the same Agave ovatifolia × victoriae-reginae signage as the plants above and their labels said Agave ovatifolia × victoriae-reginae 'Sho-Time'... but neither names pull up anything that looks remotely like the plant pictured above.

Moving on... wowsa! That's a lot of Agave titanota (titanota is Latin for mealy bugs, in my experience).

1 gallon Agave titanota 'Snaggletooth', $20.

This was another super tempting agave, surely I could get that handsome fellow in my carry-on bag? In the end both the possibility to loosing it to TSA security (spines as a weapon), as well as the knowledge that any and every Agave titanota I've attempted to grow has went into the yard waste bin with a bad case of mealy bugs, kept me from snatching one up. But isn't it beautiful?

So I knew about, and planned my visit, to coincide with the DBG plant sale. However I had no idea we'd also end up at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and that they'd also be having a plant sale, hot damn!

This felt like a strange addition, Callisia fragrans ($13.95), the basket plant. I first saw this plant during the Austin Fling, that's a tough plant that can deal with summers in Texas and Arizona (however the label did call it out as a patio plant or houseplant due to winter cold).

I had to laugh at the common name of this cactus...

Blue Curiosity, that's helpful.

Astrophytum capricorne (Goat Horn Cactus), $24.95. Love those spines!

There were a lot of agaves at this sale too...

The garden views next to the shopping area made a nice backdrop.

Another Agave titanota, this one 'Black and Blue' ($59.95)

A variegated Agave bracteosa with lighter green margins ($39.95). I didn't purchase anything at this sale, but it was fun to look (if you missed my "haul" post it's here). Friday's blog post is a look at rusty agaves in the desert, if you aren't up for growing the real thing.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.