Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Center Stripe Agave
Center Stripe Agave is the 'Splendida' form of thorncrest agave, with dark green leaves marked by a greenish-yellow band down the middle. White teeth line the leaf edges. It stays small, often about a foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, and slowly clusters with pups. It suits pots and small beds in part shade, handles cold well and needs little water.
Best for: patio pots, small beds in part shade, and a structural accent in a drought-tolerant garden kept out of the western summer sun.
It stays about 1 to 2 feet wide and grows slowly, so it holds up in a pot for years. Use well-drained soil and a pot with a drainage hole.
Thorncrest agaves do better here with some shade in summer. A small bed with morning sun and afternoon shade, or light shade under a tree, suits it.
The greenish-yellow center band makes a structural focal point in a drought-tolerant garden. Over time it clusters, with pups forming around the first rosette.
Hot western summer sun is hard on thorncrest agaves here, and overwatering leads to root rot. The white edge teeth and tip spine are sharp, so keep it back from walks and pools.
- Tight group3 ft apart, center to center
- Looser group4 ft apart, center to center
Plant into dry soil and wait about 1 to 2 weeks before the first watering, or up to a month in cool weather. Then water about every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Light shade cloth for the first few weeks helps it settle in.
Water sparingly and let the soil dry between waterings. Give it a little more in summer and much less in winter, since overwatering rots the roots.
It is hardy to about 10°F or colder, so a normal Valley winter is fine. Keep the soil dry in winter, since cold, wet soil is when rot sets in.
It clusters, making pups that fill in around the mother plant. Cut them off with a clean knife, let the cut dry for several days, then plant them.
Most agaves need no fertilizer. If you feed, use a light balanced fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new transplant and never in fall or winter. No pruning is needed.
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.
What is Center Stripe Agave?
It is 'Splendida', a striped form of thorncrest agave. It is sold as Agave lophantha 'Splendida', and the species is now also listed as Agave univittata.
How big does Center Stripe Agave get?
It is small and slow, often about 1 foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, though some plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall. That size suits a pot or a small bed.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to part shade. Thorncrest agaves do better here with some summer shade, so plant it out of the western afternoon sun.
How cold can Center Stripe Agave take?
It is listed as hardy to about 10 to 11°F, so it needs no frost cover in a normal Valley winter. Keep the soil dry in winter, when cold, wet soil can rot it.
How often should I water it?
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out between waterings, since overwatering leads to root rot. It needs little water once rooted.
Does it make pups?
Yes. It is a clustering agave, and pups form around the base. Cut them free, let the cut dry for several days, then plant them.
Does Center Stripe Agave bloom?
Yes, once, at maturity, on a stalk up to about 12 feet tall with greenish-yellow flowers. That rosette then dies, so cut it out and let a pup take its place.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. Its small size and slow growth suit pots. Use well-drained soil and a pot with a drainage hole.
Are the leaves sharp?
Yes. White teeth line the leaf edges and each leaf ends in a spine. Keep it back from walks, seating and pools, or snip the tips.
Is it poisonous to pets?
Agave sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin if chewed and upset the stomach. The tips can also poke. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Center Stripe Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Center Stripe Agave is the 'Splendida' form of thorncrest agave, sold as Agave lophantha 'Splendida'. Each dark green leaf carries a greenish-yellow center band. Below is what to expect from it in the Valley, from size and shade to cold, water, pups and blooming.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is Center Stripe Agave?
It is 'Splendida', a striped form of thorncrest agave. Dark green leaves carry a greenish-yellow band down the center, with white teeth on the edges. It stays small and clusters slowly.
How big does Center Stripe Agave get?
It often grows about 1 foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, and some plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Growth is slow, so it suits pots and small beds.
Does Center Stripe Agave need shade in Arizona?
It grows in full sun to part shade. Thorncrest agaves do better in the Valley with some summer shade and protection from the western afternoon sun.
Is Center Stripe Agave cold hardy?
It is listed as hardy to about 10 to 11°F, so it needs no frost cover in a normal Valley winter. Keep the soil dry in winter, when cold, wet soil can rot it.
Center Stripe Agave vs Thorncrest Century Plant
Both are the same species. The plain thorncrest has solid green leaves and can grow larger. Center Stripe adds a greenish-yellow center band and stays small.
When does Center Stripe Agave bloom?
It blooms once, at maturity, on a stalk up to about 12 feet tall with greenish-yellow flowers. That rosette then dies, and the pups keep the cluster going.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.