News

By: Randy Mitchell, Director of Landscape Maintenance

The cooler temperatures this time of year provide the perfect condition for optimum flowering of many shrubs and trees thoughout the Coachella Valley.  One of the unique flowering plants here is the Agave.  There are several different types of Agaves, but the most noticeable one is the Agave desmettiana, commonly known as Smooth Agave. The plant base forms a rosette shape with slightly arching leaves and grows 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall.  After 8 to 10 years, the smooth agave produces a thick, green, flower stalk with pale yellow flowers or bulblis. These unique flowering stalks grow quickly and top off at 8 to 10 feet.  As the flower fades, typically a two to three month process, the rosette or foliage clump the flower originated from will die once the flowering process is over.  This is a trait typical of almost all Agave species.  Usually the plant will leave behind very small pups to keep the population going.  These pups can either be removed or propogated and replanted, but the main portion of the plant will die out and needs to be removed.