Agave celsii Nova - Agave mitis

The Agave celsii 'Nova' is a hybrid with a small mystery surrounding its parentage, yet its aesthetics win everyone over. Of relatively rapid growth, the plant forms a magnificent rosette of wide leaves with a superb grey-blue colour, enhanced by a line of small, non-dangerous red thorns running along the leaf blade. Very graceful, the rosette with perfect geometric shapes evokes, with its graceful form, a lotus flower. Compact, this Agave, which will not exceed 50 to 60 cm, can easily be grown in a pot to be overwintered in sheltered climates too cold for it. In exchange for its rapid growth, its lifespan is shorter than other varieties, but ends beautifully with a very ornamental flowering.

The Agave, once a flagship genus of the Agavaceae family, now belongs to the Asparagaceae family, which now includes several former botanical families, and takes its name from asparagus (Asparagus in Latin). This expanded family hosts many ornamental genera quite different in appearance from each other, such as the Scilla, a charming bulb with modest-sized flowers, or the much larger and imposing Yucca. The Agave genus includes a large number of species, from 190 to several hundred according to authors, originating from the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America. Many of them are used for ornamental purposes and some even have a culinary interest (agave syrup, tequila, mescal...).
The Agave celsii 'Nova' is a hybrid with uncertain parentage, likely involving Agave mitis, a species native to the Mexican states of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, and Tamaulipas (north of Mexico). The second parent could be, according to sources, Agave potatorum, or Agave montana, or perhaps another? Nevertheless, this natural hybrid was brought to market by a Californian nursery and proves to be particularly ornamental. It stands out for its relatively fast growth (for an Agave...) which allows it to quickly form a beautiful, well-structured rosette, as we like with these types of plants. This rosette gradually grows to a height of 50 to a maximum of 60 cm and a diameter of 60 to 70 cm in adult specimens. It is made up of gracefully incurved leaves that give the plant a slight resemblance to a lotus flower or a double tulip. The leaves reach their maximum width at about mid-length and display a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing grey-blue hue. They are adorned with small dark red teeth around their entire perimeter, which leave their mark on the adjacent leaf surface, as they are tightly pressed against each other at the heart of the rosette before opening. These dark thorns elegantly emphasize the leaf's morphology without being truly dangerous, but the terminal point of the leaf of the same colour is indeed dangerous to hands and eyes. As a result of its faster growth than other varieties, this Agave also flowers more quickly (after a few years nonetheless...). It then forms a massive flower spike, significantly taller than its own height, which blossoms into hundreds of yellow flowers emerging from light green buds, creating a spectacle as superb as it is impressive. Alas, this generally marks the plant's demise, as it rarely produces offshoots from the stump, unlike many other species.

The Agave celsii 'Nova' is a hybrid of great interest in more ways than one, deserving its place in the garden despite its shorter lifespan compared to many of its counterparts. Its rapid growth is a real asset to enjoy its beauty within a reasonable timeframe, while its compactness allows it to be easily grown in pots in cold climates. In Mediterranean regions, it will easily find its place even in small gardens, where temperatures do not drop below -5° to -7°C. By associating it with other plants from dry areas, such as the Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia) with their distinctive silhouettes evoking desert zones, you will create very evocative beds, while the beauty of their flowering is as attractive as it is fleeting. The "Red Yucca" (Hesperaloe parviflora) will also be a perfect companion, with its extremely slender leaves forming a dark tuft from which coral-red flower spikes emerge in summer, absolutely irresistible. A carpet of Delosperma, a small succulent perennial, whose flowers come in many bright colours depending on the variety, will complete your scene...