While the most common species Beschorneria yuccoides, used in mild U.K. gardens, has not proven winter-hardy for us in the southeast US, many of the new exotic plant species coming from higher elevations in Mexico have been fantastic in our trials. Beschorneria are mostly evergreen, but some do become deciduous when our winter temperatures drop into the single digits.
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Beschorneria are drought-tolerant, light shade/part-sun loving, soft-leaved, agave relatives that are not only easy-to-grow, but produce some of the most unique flower spikes on any plants that we have grown...very Christmas-tree-like. In addition to gardeners, hummingbirds enjoy the 5' tall red beschorneria flower spikes. Unlike its agave cousins, beschorneria plants do not die after flowering. Once established, beschorneria produces offsets that will slowly spread into a nice colony. For those of you who are tired of getting poked every time you tend to your agaves, try beschorneria instead. Beschorneria is also less prone to rot in the winter than agave, although it still requires a well-drained soil. When you are ready to buy a beschorneria for your garden, check out our on-line offerings of beschorneria for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This little-known agave relative, named in 1987, makes a truly superb and unusual garden plant. Growing in shade all alone in the Mexican mountains at Tamaulipas, this poor plant simply needed a loving home...which occurred, thanks to a 1991 seed collection, by John Fairey of Peckerwood Gardens. The glossy, evergreen rosette (no spines) makes an attractive clump to 18" tall x 3' wide. After it is well established, you will enjoy the 5' tall, glossy red flower spikes that are adorned with lovely reddish bells with green tips in March/April...sounds perfect for an early Christmas! This Yucca Do collection of Beschorneria septentrionalis #33-12 was made from the northern limit of the natural range. In hot Texas climates, afternoon shade is best. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
There is truly no limit to what a plant breeder with a good imagination will try. Plantsman Martin Grantham, formerly of the UC-Berkeley Botanic Gardens, decided to breed beschornerias since those with the showiest of flowers were not very winter hardy. For us, this winter-hardy hybrid has made a 3' clump of wide, gray-green, non-spiny foliage, topped in mid-spring with a giant 2" thick, bright red stalk that reaches an amazing 7' tall. The main stalk branches toward the tip with smaller red horizontal stalks, which are in turn adorned with long tubular red flowers tipped in green. Keep in mind that these are seed grown and each plant may be slightly different. If you like horticultural curiosities, we're here to help. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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