Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Variegated Blue Glow Agave
Variegated Blue Glow Agave is a striped sport of Blue Glow, with blue-gray leaves banded in creamy white inside a thin red edge. When the sun shines through the leaves from behind, the edges light up. It stays a single, slow rosette, about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It is a collector's agave for a patio pot or an entry bed with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Best for: a patio or courtyard pot you see up close, an entry bed with morning sun and afternoon shade, and a spot where low sun can backlight the leaves. A slow, single rosette that holds its shape.
It is well suited to a pot on a patio or in a courtyard, where the cream and red edges can be seen up close. Choose a pot with a drainage hole and a fast-draining mix.
Set it in an entry bed or on the east side, where it gets morning sun and shade after midday. Filtered light under a thin tree canopy also works.
Place it where the sun can shine through the leaves from behind. The thin red edges and creamy bands light up when the sun is behind them.
Hot afternoon summer sun and reflected heat can scorch the pale striped leaves. Soil that stays wet can rot it. It stays small, so it will not fill a big desert yard.
- Tight group3 ft apart
- Looser group4 ft apart
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 deeply about every 10 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Cut back by October and let winter rain do the rest. Let the soil dry between waterings.
Growers rate it from about 20°F to 25°F. On frost nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground and take it off in the morning. Keep the soil dry in winter, since cold, wet soil is when rot sets in.
It usually grows as a single rosette. It blooms once after many years, then the rosette dies.
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 the difference between Blue Glow and Variegated Blue Glow?
The variegated form is a sport of Blue Glow. It keeps the same shape, size and red leaf edge, and adds a creamy white band inside the edge of each blue-gray leaf.
How big does Variegated Blue Glow get?
It grows about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It is slow, so a young plant stays close to its size for years.
Does Variegated Blue Glow need shade in Phoenix?
Yes, morning sun with afternoon shade suits it best here. Blue Glow is sensitive to intense Phoenix afternoon sun, and the pale stripes scorch more easily. Ease it into more sun slowly.
How often should I water Variegated Blue Glow?
Once rooted, soak it about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Water little or not at all in winter. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
Does Variegated Blue Glow make pups?
No, it rarely does. It grows as a single rosette, so it keeps its tidy shape and does not need dividing.
Does Variegated Blue Glow bloom?
It blooms once, then dies, usually after about 10 to 15 years. A flower stalk 8 to 10 feet tall carries greenish-yellow flowers. Since it seldom pups, plan to replace it then.
How cold can Variegated Blue Glow take?
Cold hardiness for Blue Glow is listed from the mid 20s down to about 20°F. On freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth to the ground, or move a potted plant against the house.
Can I grow Variegated Blue Glow in a pot?
Yes, it makes a good container specimen. Use fast-draining soil in a pot with a drainage hole. Water only when the soil has dried out.
Does Variegated Blue Glow have spines?
The edges have only tiny soft teeth, but each leaf ends in a short, sharp red tip. Set it a little back from walks and seating, or snip off the tips.
Is Variegated Blue Glow poisonous to pets?
Blue Glow 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.
Why is my Variegated Blue Glow soft or mushy?
A soft, mushy plant points to rot from too much water or soil that drains poorly. Overwatered agaves also draw the agave snout weevil. Cut back the water and check the drainage.
Variegated Blue Glow Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Variegated Blue Glow is a rare striped form of the Blue Glow agave, with creamy white bands along each leaf and a thin red edge. It grows slowly as one tidy rosette. Below is what to expect from it in a Valley pot or bed, from size, sun and water to cold, blooming and spacing.
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Blue Glow vs Variegated Blue Glow Agave
Both form the same slow, single rosette with a thin red leaf edge. The variegated form adds a creamy white band along each leaf. Its paler leaves want the same or more shade from the hot afternoon sun.
Does Variegated Blue Glow need shade in Arizona?
It does best with morning sun and afternoon shade in the Valley. Filtered light under a thin tree canopy also works. Move it into brighter sun slowly to avoid scorch.
How big does Variegated Blue Glow get?
Expect about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It grows slowly and seldom makes pups. That keeps it tidy in a pot for years.
How far apart do you plant Variegated Blue Glow?
In a group or border, set plants about 3 to 4 feet apart center to center. Each rosette spreads 2 to 3 feet. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your bed.
Watering Variegated Blue Glow in the Valley
After it is rooted, soak it about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Give little or no water in winter. Never let it sit in soggy soil.
Growing Variegated Blue Glow in a pot
It is a good container specimen. Use a fast-draining mix and a pot with a drainage hole. Keep the pot out of hot afternoon sun in summer.
Is Variegated Blue Glow cold hardy?
Cold hardiness for Blue Glow is listed from the mid 20s down to about 20°F. On hard freeze nights, use frost cloth that reaches the ground, and take it off in the morning.
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