Re: Name of Agave like plant

Not all of the Furcrea species are super tender to
frost, and can be grown here in the milder parts of
San Francisco Bay Area with siting against a warm west
or south facing wall under an overhang.  I wish I knew
the species better, as there was a rather large leafed
deep green species that I grew up with in Burlingame,
that had never bloomed, and I am almost sure that it
is the same species I now see in a client's garden up
in the Oakland Hills that was originally planted by
Roger Raiche and David McCrory of Planet Horticulture,
and is now 8 foot tall by across, and has obviously
withstood some frosts in the past, although I don't
think it was there in the last bad freeze of 1998.

There is a striped/variegated species with the
cultivar name medio picta which is very popular as a
specimen container plant in southeast
Asia/Malaysian/Indonesian gardens, and is featured in
Made Wijaya's book, in the chapter on White Gardens. 
This one is also seen in California, where it does
need some protection from more than a degree or two of
frost.  Furcrea does not need full hot sun to do well,
and in fact will grow very well in bright shade or
dappled shade if it is warm and not too wet in winter.
 They are also very amenable to being container grown
for long periods, so can be moved under the eave of a
house roof with cold weather.


--- Cali Doxiadis <gastouri@ker.forthnet.gr> wrote:

> I planted my little florets or rosettes in pots last
> October and left them in a protected area outdoors
> all winter.  They'e now about 12 cm tall.  It was a
> mild winter with only one short frost, otherwise
> they probably wouldn't have fared as well.
> Cali
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: gill.cei 
>   To: Cali Doxiadis ; MEDITERRANEAN PLANTS 
>   Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 11:44 AM
>   Subject: Re: Name of Agave like plant
> 
> 
>   I have F bedinghausii in a pot, it goes into a
> cold greenhouse in the winter, thus has withstood
> -3/4°C but when very dry.  The Mary & Gary Irish
> book suggests that all Furcreas are tender but I
> shall have to try mine outside soon as it's
> outgrowing the pot, full sun and perfect drainage I
> guess.
> 
>   Gill
>     ----- Original Message ----- 
>     From: Cali Doxiadis 
>     To: gill.cei ; MEDITERRANEAN PLANTS 
>     Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:40 AM
>     Subject: Re: Name of Agave like plant
> 
> 
>     Thank you, Gill... that's it! Any advice from
> your area?
> 
>     Cali
>       ----- Original Message ----- 
>       From: gill.cei 
>       To: gastouri@ker.forthnet.gr ; MEDITERRANEAN
> PLANTS 
>       Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:53 AM
>       Subject: Re: Name of Agave like plant
> 
> 
>       Furcrea something?  Very similar to Agaves,
> usually with swollen stem bases. 
> 
>       Gill Pound
>       Nr Carcassonne
>       France
>         ----- Original Message ----- 
>         From: Cali Doxiadis 
>         To: MEDITERRANEAN PLANTS 
>         Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 8:39 AM
>         Subject: Name of Agave like plant
> 
> 
>         Last Fall, on a visit to Serre de la Madonne
> on the Riviera, I was given some tiny rosettes
> produced in large quantities by an Agave like
> succulent.  They are growing well in pots here now,
> but the name, which I'd written in pencil on the
> paper bag containing them is no longer readable. 
> The first 3 letters look like FUZ, though that's
> only a guess.  Any ideas?
> 
>         Cali Doxiadis
>         Corfu, Greece
> 
> 
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