S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Agave ‘Blue Glow’
for the Northeast Florida Landscape
( Agave attenuata x ocahui ‘Blue Glow’ )
Agave ‘Blue Glow’ Plant Origins:
A beautiful Agave cross between Agave attenuata and Agave ocahui cultivated for it’s compact growth and of corse the beutifully colored leaf margin that gives the plant its unique among agave coloring. When the sunlight catches it just right the plant looks like it is glowing from within much like the famous ‘silver lining’ of a storm cloud as the sun shines brightly behind it.
Agave Blue Glow’s is the perfect size for mass plantings and shrub replacements in seascapes and xeroscape plantings where irrigation water is scarce. With a mature height of just 1-2 feet high and 2-3 feet wide they fit nicely into smaller space landscapes and seem to be the perfect fit for container plantings.
Sun / Shade Exposure for Agave ‘Blue Glow’:
– Agave plants can be planted in a full sun or a partially shaded location
in the Northeast Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape.
Foliage and Growth Habit of Agave ‘Blue Glow’:
Soft grey green foliage is lined with a red – orange – yellow margins, each
sword like narrow and grows only about an inch and a half wide and up to 1.5 feet in length.
The good and bad thing all at the same time about the Agave Blue Glow is a
predominately solitary plant, so no need to remove pups every year from the base, but also no new free plants for other areas of the garden. So depending on your personal preference, that could be a welcome relief
or a bit of a disappointment, because once you have one you will find more places.
Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of Agave Plants:
Agave plants will prefer extremely well draining soils that are comprised
mostly of sand. If you have clay soils or nice black dirt that grabs and holds water after rains here in Northeast Florida it would be a good idea to relegate your Agave plantings to raised bed areas and decorative
containers. Agave plants are salt tolerant and make a great plant
selection for coastal plantings.
Mature Size:
Expect your Agave “Blue Glow’ plants to reach only 1-1.5 feet high
and 2-3 feet wide when fully grown.
Water Requirements:
Agave are extremely drought tolerant as their foliage is a water storage unit for the plant allowing it to survive periods of extreme drought unharmed.
Allow your agave plants to go unwatered during the winter months to
strengthen their defense against a hard freeze.
Care of Agave ‘Blue Glow’ in the Northeast Florida / Jacksonville and St. Augustine Landscape:
– Plant into well drained soil that does not stay moist or wet long after
rains. In frequently moist or water logged soils consider building up a of sandy soil at least 6 inches above grade and two to three feet wide to plant your Agave in.
– Agave make great container plantings as containers tend to dry out quickly even with daily rains. Consider planting in a decorative container with drain holes that can be planted into the ground with a minimum of one third to one half of the pot left above the existing soil level.
– Water once or twice a week during the establishment period after planting in the garden from an S & J Nursery container.
– Mulch heavily to reduce weed growth under the foliage. Consider using a pre emergent herbicide like Preen or placing a .5 – 1 inch layer of newspaper under the mulch around the plant after installing your new Agave to inhibit the growth of weeds that may be hard to reach under the Agave foliage.
-Fertilize each spring with a well balanced plant food like Osmocote.