DESPITE its soubriquet ‘the century plant’, the Agave americana only lives for up to 30 years, spending 20 or so of those storing up reserves of food in its leaves so that its flowers can finally burst forth before it dies.
Originally from Mexico, this subtropical one-hit wonder thrives in sunshine, mild weather and with good drainage.
One such plant, which happens to be the largest coastal agave in Britain, at The Nare Hotel on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, has just come into bloom. It’s more than 27ft tall and its flowering process began in January, but it was 190 days before the first flower appeared, on July 15. Now blossom-laden and highly popular with the bees of Cornwall, the shoot overlooks the sea of Gerrans Bay.
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