How to Landscape With Agave Americana

Consider the type of garden you are planning and the cultivation of each area. For instance, agave can be put into a perennial area but only if the perennials are all drought-tolerant. If you are watering the plants fairly consistently, the agave will not thrive.

Use Agave Americana in a desert garden with sandy soil and other succulents and cactus. It has a blue-ish green color that looks particularly appealing next to plants with smaller yellow-green foliage. Sedum, sempervivum, thyme and other low-growing, heat-loving plants make interesting ground covers around agave.

Plant agave in a container. Agave stays smaller in a pot than in the ground, and you can move it indoors when temperatures are cool. Use a terra-cotta pot to enhance evaporation of excess water. Place it on a pot dolly so you can easily move the agave. A mixture of half potting soil and half cactus soil will provide a nice growing medium for the agave.

Place Agave Americana along the borders of your yard to add interest and prevent intruders. Keep in mind that the plant will grow 5 to 7 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. Agave is not appropriate for USDA zones 8A and below unless you overwinter it indoors. Plant a cluster of two or three for a massive and impressive design scheme in a simple drought-tolerant landscape scheme.

Cut back the flower when it dies. The rest of the plant will die back shortly, and you will need to remove the dead foliage or cut out the pups. The original plant dies after flowering, but it leaves behind new plants to replace the parent.