Agave ovatifolia

[jankol]

This plant has spent about 15 years outdoors in my garden. it has been unprotected and is unmarked.

[Paul in Essex]

That bitter-sweet moment of impending flowering. I don't know of any others, could be a UK first!

[Tina]

How sad , , my albopilosa I grew from seed is going to flower , I'm quite put out by it

[WayneM]

Have mixed feelings seeing it flower, but could help make another hardyish hybrid?

Wayne

[greatnorthernexotic]

Fantastic specimen! Is 15 years about the same lifespan as other species of agave?

[Tina]

varies, victoria reginae take a very long time I think Colin had a 40 ish year old plant that flowered

[Tina]

and Jankol had the plant for 15 years & doesn't say how old/large/small it was when he got it

[Ali Baba]

How sad , , my albopilosa I grew from seed is going to flower , I'm quite put out by it

That’s rather quick, how old is it ?

[ralphrmartin]

Has anyone ever tried to prevent flowering by cutting off the flower spike before it gets to any real size? Or is it already too late?

[NorfolkExotics]

Unfortunately by the time a spike has emerged it’s too late as the plant will have effectively killed itself by consuming all of the stored energy it has produced throughout its lifetime. There is some discussion about how damage to the growing tip of a spike can cause bulbil production on species that don’t usually produce them. While the spike may not produce flowers in such an event the main rosette would still die from the stress the plant puts itself under.