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Agave victoriae-reginae 'Albomarginata' (White Rhino Agave) - A small beautiful slow-growing agave with rosettes 10 to 12 inches tall by half again as wide with tight-fitting, tapered deep green leaves whose smooth and spineless leaf margins are edged with broad white bands and tipped with a small but stout terminal spine.
Plant in part to full coastal sun, bright light in a greenhouse or light shade in well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to very little – this plant is prone to rot and good drainage and careful irrigation practices are important. Cold hardiness is not well documented on this cultivar, but it seems unfazed down to around 25° F and the species is hardy down to at least 10 F°. Can be planted in the garden but is better as an exceptionally attractive container plant.
For more information on the species, see our listing of Agave victoriae-reginae Our plants from division from two plants from the collection of the late great horticulturalist Bill Baker, who owned California Gardens Nursery. Our stock plants have always garnered attraction and when this plant has ever been for sale at specialty succulent nurseries, it has always been at a premium. Though we recognize that Agave victoriae-reginae 'Albomarginata' should not be allowed as a valid cultivar name based on rules set down by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, this plant has long been known by this original name and it is how we received it from Bill Baker, so we retain this name, while admitting it to be invalid by a ruling that all cultivars named after 1959 not have a Latinized cultivar name. It has also been known by the cultivar names 'Alba Marginata ', 'Marginata Alba', 'Baker's White', 'Hyou Zan' and most recently was renamed "White Rhino" in the internet trades. Since this White Rhino name is now so often used, we now consider it to be a good common name for this plant. We have been building stock on this plant since 1997 and in 2012 were able to release it for sale on a limited basis but now have over 500 stock plants that we regularly "core" to induce suckering and so are now able to produce it more abundantly.
This information about Agave victoriae-reginae 'Albomarginata' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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