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Agave celsii 'Nova' - A beautiful solitary rosette forming succulent to 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide with broad blue-gray leaves that are broadest toward the middle and have faint longitudinal lines and reddish-brown regularly spaced small spines along the margins. This fast-growing plant blooms at a relatively young age, producing an erect spike to 6 feet tall with short peduncles, each bearing multiple pale-yellow flowers.
Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. It withstood the frosts of January 2007 in a garden in a cold location of Santa Barbara where temperatures dropped to around 22 F and this plant was not damaged.
We purchased our original stock of this plant from Rancho Soledad Nursery in January 2005 and were told that it was from seed collected by that nursery's then breeder, Kelly Griffin. We used the name we purchased this plant as, but the structure of the inflorescence with flowers on short branches indicates that this plant is likely a hybrid and not actually a form of the species Agave celsii, which is now more properly called Agave mitis (see our listing of Agave celsii for more about this). Because of its tendency to bloom at such an early age we discontinued production of this plant in 2011.
The information about Agave celsii 'Nova' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
