Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blue Flame Agave
Blue Flame Agave is a garden cross of foxtail agave and Agave shawii, with waxy blue-green leaves that curve inward toward the center. Each rosette reaches about 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. It sends up plenty of pups and slowly fills in as a clump. It suits beds, rock gardens, raised planters and large pots where it gets some afternoon shade.
Best for: filling a bed with a blue-green clump, rock gardens and raised planters, and large patio pots, all with cover from the late-day summer sun.
It makes lots of pups, so one plant slowly grows into a clump 6 to 10 feet across. Give it that room, or pull pups each year to hold it smaller.
It works as an accent in rock gardens, raised planters and small to medium oasis-style beds. Pull pups now and then to keep it in scale.
A single rosette fits a large patio pot. Pull the pups as they come up, then replant them elsewhere or give them away.
It is not the agave for a big, open desert yard in full afternoon sun. Soil that stays wet can rot the roots. The leaf tips are sharp, so keep it off tight walkways.
- Group planting8 ft apart, center to center
Set it in dry soil and skip water for about a week or two in warm weather, longer when it is cool. Then give it water about every other week while nights stay warm.
Once rooted, water deeply about every 2 weeks in summer, every 3 to 5 weeks in spring and fall, and only if winter rain skips us. Let the soil dry out between soakings.
It grows in mostly full sun, but shade from the western sun on summer afternoons is best. A new plant can go under light shade cloth for its first few weeks.
It is rated down to about 20 to 25°F. On hard freeze nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet all the way to the ground, not plastic, and uncover it in the morning. Move potted plants next to the house.
It makes lots of pups around the base. Pull them to keep one rosette, or cut them free, let the cut dry for several days, and plant them.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Blue Flame Agave get?
Each rosette grows about 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. With its pups, the clump can spread 6 to 10 feet across over time.
Does Blue Flame Agave need afternoon shade in Phoenix?
It grows in mostly full sun here, but shade from the western sun on summer afternoons is best. Plant it on an east side or where a tree or wall shades it late in the day.
How often should I water Blue Flame Agave?
Once rooted, a deep soak about every 2 weeks in summer is right for the Valley. Water every 3 to 5 weeks in spring and fall, and in winter only if the rain skips us.
Does Blue Flame Agave make pups?
Yes, lots of them. Cut the pup free with a clean knife or a shovel, let the cut dry for several days, then plant it and water lightly.
How cold can Blue Flame Agave take?
It is rated to about 20 to 25°F. On hard freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet that reaches the ground. Take the cover off in the morning.
Does Blue Flame Agave bloom?
Each rosette blooms once, after about 10 to 15 years, then dies. The stalk reaches about 15 feet with yellow flowers, usually from late fall into early spring. The pups around it carry on.
Does Blue Flame Agave have spines?
The leaf edges have fine teeth, and each leaf ends in a sharp, inward-curving tip. The leaves are not rigid, and the tip is less dangerous than on most agaves. Snip the tips near walks.
Can I grow Blue Flame Agave in a pot?
Yes, a single rosette does well in a large patio pot. Use fast-draining soil and a drainage hole. Pull pups to keep it in scale, and water more often than in the ground.
Is Blue Flame the same as Blue Glow Agave?
No. Both have foxtail agave as a parent, but Blue Glow was crossed with Agave ocahui. Blue Glow stays one smaller rosette with red and yellow edges. Blue Flame is bigger and pups into a clump.
Is Blue Flame Agave poisonous to dogs or cats?
It is mildly poisonous if chewed. The sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin, and the leaf tips can poke. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Can snout weevils get Blue Flame Agave?
Yes, the agave snout weevil attacks many agaves in the low desert. Watch for leaves that wilt or wrinkle and a plant that rocks loose. Good drainage and not overwatering help most.
Blue Flame Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Flame is a blue-green agave that grows in the Valley as a clump of rosettes. It is a cross made in the early 1960s, with foxtail agave as one parent. Below is what to expect from it in an Arizona yard, from size, sun and water to pups, cold, blooming and spacing.
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How big does Blue Flame Agave get?
A single rosette grows about 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. It makes many pups, and the clump can reach 6 to 10 feet across. Pulling pups keeps it smaller.
Does Blue Flame Agave need shade in Phoenix?
It takes mostly full sun in Phoenix, with shade from the western sun on summer afternoons. It also handles part shade. It is not the best pick for a wide open, all-day sun yard.
How often do you water Blue Flame Agave in Arizona?
Once rooted, water deeply about every 2 weeks in summer. Stretch that to every 3 to 5 weeks in spring and fall. In winter, water only if there has been no rain.
How much room does Blue Flame Agave need?
One rosette needs about 3 to 4 feet if you pull the pups. Let it grow into a full clump and it can fill 6 to 10 feet, so give it that room or pull pups each year.
Blue Flame Agave pups
It sends up pups freely around the base. Cut them free, let the cut dry for several days, then replant them. The pups also carry the clump on after an older rosette blooms.
Blue Flame vs Blue Glow Agave
They are sister crosses, each with foxtail agave as a parent. Blue Flame pups into a wide clump of 3-foot rosettes. Blue Glow stays one smaller rosette with red and yellow edges.
Is Blue Flame Agave cold hardy?
It is rated to about 20 to 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth down to the ground on hard freeze nights, and remove it in the morning. Potted plants can move next to the house.
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