Mangave mystery box

A couple of weeks ago I proclaimed 2018 to be the year of the mangave. This was based on the ever increasing number of hybrids becoming available in nurseries, and the growing popularity of these harmless half-siblings of the spiky agave. If you haven't seen the variety of leaf textures and colors offered by the latest crop of mangaves, check out my earlier post. I'm sure you'll find a few that you like even if you're not fond of agaves.

A week after my mangave post, UPS delivered two mystery boxes to our doorstep. Guess what was inside?

Box 1:

Box 2:



These notes taped to the sides of the boxes gave it away:


Yep, a veritable treasure chest of mangaves, including some that won't be widely available until later this year.


Succulent and More has a very generous supporter!

Here are my new babies after I unpacked and cleaned them:




There are some broken leaves, but mangaves are fast growers. Soon you won't be able to tell.

I now have almost all mangage cultivars commercially available, and I will be able to provide regular progress reports on how they fare in our climate. I plan on planting most of them in a large raised bed in the backyard, at least initially. When they're bigger, I will move them to permanent spots throughout the garden. One, ×Mangave 'Carnival', is already in its forever home in a tall planter in the front yard.

I can't thank this benefactor enough for such a wonderful gift!


© Gerhard Bock, 2018. No part of the materials available through www.succulentsandmore.com may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of Gerhard Bock. Any other reproduction in any form without the permission of Gerhard Bock is prohibited. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States and international copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Gerhard Bock.

Comments

  1. so is this an anonymous benefactor ? And do you plan to open a roadside Mangave stand ??

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  2. Lucky! So many... How does one get benefactors like this?

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  3. None of these names are ones that I’ve heard you mention before or that I’ve seen commercially available. So, this whole thing is exploding? Lucky you!

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  4. Wow!!! That is wonderful Gerhard. I am keeping all of mine in pots to take with me when we move. I can't wait to see the all get big.

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  5. Love the new leaf shapes, color and texture.

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  6. You really scored big there, they all look great. That first photo had me thinking this was a post about delivery service destruction!

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  7. Score! I wish I could plant mine in the ground. I left one in the back garden as an experiment and it's a mushy mess. The three M. 'Inkblot' in the container in the front garden though, they're looking like they're gonna pull through.

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  8. These new crosses are such exciting plants! And I'm reminded of the Susan Sontag book The Benefactor (that I never finished...)

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  9. I'm not sure envy can get any deeper...

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  10. How exciting to get such a surprise in the mail. Looking forward to seeing how your new beauties fare in your climate!

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  11. Good Karma, Gerhard! You are always so generous with everybody else, it's coming back around again!

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  12. Couldn't have happened to a nicer gardener.

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