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JANUARY 6, 2006
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Moving Blues
(And Grays and Greens)
castagna
Growing Agave in the rain
Portland s Eastside
Dining & Spirits
emember when I wrote my first column a
R
few months ago and I was busy tearing out
Í
plants, yawning at things that I didn’t like
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anymore? Well, now I’m caught in the mid
dle of moving to a new house, wondering
which plants I love enough to bring with me. I have to
sav that I’m feeling pretty damn proud of myself and
my self-restraint.
I have to thank my bosses at Viva Plants for being
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caie castagna 7 nights a week
503.231.7373
1752 se hawthorne. portland
great coaches at the pick-and-chose, leave-behind or
dig-and-bring game. In one of the first conversations
I had with them, Paul asked me what I was going to
BY DAN YOUNG
bring with me. I told him that I wasn’t totally sure but
that I would definitely bring my Agaves with me. To that
one part pumice and one part sand. During the summer
Paid said, “Well, of course, that would be like not
I usually water them once a week and feed them with an
moving your furniture.”
organic liquid fertilizer once a month. 1 don’t water
Fortunately I own one of those light mid-century
Danish couches, but on last count I have 30 or more
Agaves.
them and move the pots to a dry place with plenty of sun
from October until mid-March.
Pots aren’t the only way you can grow Agaves in
I’ve tried all kinds. Their blue-to-gray-to-green
Portland. Many of them can be grown in the ground
rosettes are unbeatable for adding form and structure
here, provided they get full, all-day, hot, blasting sun
and their roots stay as dry' as
possible in our wet winters.
I was talking with Sean Hogan
of Cistus Nursery recently and
asked him what he thought the
three best Agaves were to grow
in Portland. I could tell it was
a bit hard for him to narrow it
down to just three.
The first he suggests is
Agave parryi from Arizona,
New Mexico and high eleva
tions of northern Mexico.
Agave
parryi
forms
tight
rosettes of bluish gray and
Agave parryi, native to Arizona, New Mexico and high elevations of
northern Mexico, will establish colonies in well-drained Oregon soil.
grows to about 1 1/2 to 2 feet
tall eventually. Agave parryi
sends out runners to make
to your garden. I soon started collecting them for their
good-sized colonies; from that one plant you will have
differences in spine color, the hairs or filaments on their
many in a few short years. It can easily handle temper
leaves or variegation. I’ve planted them in pots, in the
atures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
garden, in heavy soil and in perfectly prepared sandy
There is certainly no worry of this pokey cutie freezing
gravel. I’ve kept them in the house, in my greenhouse
out here.
and under the eaves of my house. I’ve had them pretty
The second on the list is Agave mckelvevana, which
much everywhere but my bathtub and my bed. I’ve had
I bought out at Cistus a few years back. I planted it
some good luck and unfortunately some bad luck, too.
close to my house under the eaves, where it stays real
I have learned that the easiest way to grow Agaves
ly dry and is doing fantastic. A mckelvevana is a small
across the board is in containers. The entire genus
er Agave, only growing about a foot tall. It is also hardy
needs great dr ainage, so make sure a hole is in the bot
to zero degrees if dry.
tom of the container. The soil you use should be a cac
The last but not the least Sean suggests is Agave
tus potting mix or a DIY recipe of one part potting soil.
havardiana from western Texas, New Mexico and
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northern Mexico. This is another that I have grown.
1 have to admit that on my first two tries I killed this
one, but now I have one growing well in a container
that I leave outside year-round. Agave havardiana gets
2 feet tall and just about 3 feet wide. Again, this species
can handle temperatures down to zero, if not colder.
I think bringing the desert to the rainy Pacific
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Northwest is really fun and not as hard as many peo
ple think. It might take a little more thought and
preparation in the beginning, but all in all, growing
Agaves is damn easy. ®
Agave havardiana grows 2 feet tall and about
3 feet wide and is hardy to zero degrees
Fahrenheit.
To reach D irtv D an , u ho will answer any and all
of your gardening questions, simply e mail
dirtydtljegardener@yahoo.com.
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