Frosty Blue Whale’s Tongue Agave
Yet another superb selection by Sean Hogan of an already spectacular species! Frosty Blue Whale’s Tongue Agave is likely the largest growing of any of the cold hardy century plants and tolerates our winter rain and cold better than almost any other cold hardy agave. Native to northeastern Mexico, this selection was made for its extremely blue foliage and we absolutely adore it! Specimens around Portland have stood the test of time for at least the past 10 years and are the pride and joy of anyone who’s been lucky enough to grab one from Cistus Nursery. And thanks to the wonders of tissue culture this valuable variety is now much more widely available and we are thrilled to be growing it! Frosty Blue grows as a solitary rosette, not forming offsets, and flowers every 50-100 years or so which has lead to it being called a “century plant”. Thanks for another landscape-altering introduction Sean! If you’re visiting Sauvie Island, stop by Cistus Nursery and you might be able to pick up a large specimen!
Plant in extremely well draining soil in the brightest conditions if planting in ground. Watering in the summertime will lead to faster growth and a more gigantic specimen. Otherwise it makes a fantastic container plant and can be brought indoors when very cold weather is in the forecast.
Latin Name: Agave ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’
Site and Soil: Full sun and very well-drained soil. Very drought tolerant once established and will need little to no supplemental watering during the summer season, though a bit of summer water speeds growth.
Hardiness: Hardy to approx. 0º F, possibly lower with great drainage.
Size at Maturity: 3-4 ft. in height by 6 ft. wide
Bloom Time: early spring through summer every 50 or 100 years or so
Pests & Diseases: Not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 7a