Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Durango Delight Agave
Durango Delight Agave is a small, symmetrical agave with a hundred or more narrow, dark green leaves marked in white. Thin white threads curl along the leaf edges instead of teeth. It grows slowly to about 2 feet tall and wide and stays a single rosette. It suits pots, small beds and up-close spots by an entry or patio, with little water.
Best for: patio pots and containers, small up-close beds by an entry or seating area, and groups of rosettes in a desert garden.
It stays about 2 feet across and grows slowly, so it makes a good specimen in a patio pot. Use a pot with a drainage hole and fast-draining soil.
The white markings and curly edge threads show best up close. Plant it by an entry, a seating area or a small bed, set a little back from where people walk.
Several plants clustered in a desert bed look good together. Each stays a single rosette, so the group keeps its shape without pups to pull.
In Phoenix it does best with light shade from the western afternoon sun. Wet soil in winter can rot it. Each leaf ends in a sharp, stiff tip, so keep it back from paths.
- Group or mass planting2 ft apart
Set it in dry soil at the depth it grew in the pot. Hold off watering for about 1 to 2 weeks in warm weather, or up to a month when it is cool. Then water about every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Light shade cloth for the first few weeks helps it settle.
Water deeply, then let the soil dry before the next soak. About every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall is plenty. Cut back by October and let winter rain carry it.
Most plants never need fertilizer. If you do feed, use a light balanced fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new plant and never in fall or winter. No pruning is needed beyond removing dead lower leaves.
It grows in full sun, which keeps the rosette tight. In Phoenix, give it light, filtered shade from the western afternoon sun.
It is hardy to about 10 to 15°F. Keep it dry through winter and cover it with frost cloth to the ground on hard freeze nights.
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 Durango Delight Agave get?
It grows about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and about 2 feet wide. It grows slowly, so pick a pot or spot for the plant you want in a few years, not the one you buy.
Does Durango Delight make pups?
It generally does not, so there are no pups to pull and it keeps its single-rosette shape.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun, but in Phoenix light shade from the western afternoon sun is best. Plant it under a light tree or on an east side for that filtered shade.
How often should I water Durango Delight?
Give it water through the summer months, soaking deeply and letting the soil dry between. Keep it dry in winter, since wet, cold soil can rot it.
How cold can it take?
It is listed as hardy to about 10 to 15°F. On hard freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth to the ground, and keep the soil dry.
Does Durango Delight have spines?
The leaf edges have soft white threads instead of teeth, but each leaf ends in a sharp, stiff tip. Keep it a little back from walks and seating, or snip the tips.
Does it bloom?
Yes, once, at the end of its life, on an unbranched spike about 7 to 12 feet tall with purple buds and flowers. The rosette then dies and leaves no pups, so plan to replace it.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes, it is an excellent specimen container plant. Use fast-draining soil and a pot with a drainage hole, and water less in winter.
Does Durango Delight need pruning?
No, it does not need pruning. Just remove any dead lower leaves if you like.
Is it poisonous to pets?
Agave sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin if chewed and upset the stomach. The sharp tips can also poke. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Durango Delight Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Durango Delight is a small selection of Agave schidigera, grown for its tight, symmetrical rosette of white-marked leaves with curly white edge threads. Below is what to expect from it in a Valley pot or bed, from size, sun and water to cold 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.
How big does Durango Delight Agave get?
It grows about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It is slow and stays a single rosette, which suits pots and small, up-close beds.
Does Durango Delight need shade in Phoenix?
It takes full sun, but light, filtered shade from the western afternoon sun is best in Phoenix. Full sun helps it keep a tight form.
How often do you water Durango Delight?
Water it through the summer, letting the soil dry between soaks. Keep it dry in winter. Well-drained soil is a must.
Is Durango Delight cold hardy?
It is listed as hardy to about 10 to 15°F. Cover it with frost cloth on hard freeze nights and keep the soil dry.
Does Durango Delight make pups?
It generally does not, and it grows as one symmetrical rosette. At the end of its life it sends up a tall purple flower spike and dies, so plan to replace it then.
Growing Durango Delight in a pot
It makes an excellent specimen container plant. Use fast-draining soil and a pot with a drainage hole. Water in the warm months and less in winter.
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