Most of us know agave for one thing only – it’s the plant from which tequila is made. The state of Jalisco, on the west coast of Mexico, is the historic center of tequila production and still provides 80% of the crop. The unusually vigorous Agave tequilana ‘Weber Azul’ is by far the most popular variety for tequila production.
Among the best desert plants, there are also many other species and varieties that make dramatic garden plants, especially in the dry south west. They make eye-catching container plants in cooler regions. Growing wild from Utah to southern Mexico, they are often called century plants because in their wild homes they can live for a hundred years before flowering, developing seeds and then dying. Before dying they also often produce pups - small plants at the base of the original, ideal for propagation.
