If kept dry Agave parrasana seems ok down to around -10C. Doesn't like wet and cold too much, although i do know of a plant that grew to maturity and flowered over a 15 year period in Surrey without ever being protected in any way. Probably only saw down to -6C though.

Pia, you might find reading this man's website very useful - Benny is a bit of a legend!
http://www.bennyskaktus.dk

Yes, this is Agave montana. If you water it more than you would expect to water an agave it will probably grow quicker. The 'Baccarat' plant is, in my opinion, a form of Agave gentryi. It first appeared on Plant Delights website as a cultivar of Agave montana, then a 'possible intergrade with Agave ...

That's a beauty!

But what about the second, smaller plant - this has been outside for maybe 10 years. Perhaps the differences are more visible in the flesh which is why I am more inclined to disregard the idea - I've lived with them all for a long time and acutely aware of how they have grown (or not in some cases!)...

Well, for the sake of discussion, here are a couple of pictures. Firstly a picture of my big old T. tarijensis ex-Hollygate. It has been in the ground for 2 years after a few attempts at rooting since I got it in (I guess, as it was just after Terry died but whilst David was still there) 2006. With ...

Whilst I agree that growing conditions can alter a plant's appearance to a degree, in this case I don't think it is the explanation for this plant. The portion of stem below the first constriction is how it arrived, bought in from a nursery in Tenerife and the spination hasn't changed since it has b...

Liz - what a lovely thing to say, thank you

Richaud - thanks for the confirmation. Interesting theory re spines. Not sure if 15 years in my garden can overturn millenia of evolution, mind you...

I bought this columnar cactus around 15years ago as Trichocereus pasacana and it has lived outside ever since. It do9es bear scars of its hard existence - a narrowing after the shock of its first UK winter then again after winter 09/10... anyway, it has graced me with flowers for the first time and ...

Mike/Iain, thanks. I grow loads of cacti and succulents outside - that is where my interest lays and I go to extreme lengths to grow as many different types as possible (yet trying to keep it looking like a garden, too). In terms of cacti I have dozens of taxa growing outside, from a 4m tall Trichoc...