If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’re probably familiar with Tony and Holly Krock. I’ve visited them at their private home and their greenhouse on previous trips to Santa Barbara. On our recent trip, Kyle and I checked in with the Krocks to see what they’ve been up to. A lot, as it turns out. Read on.
But some background first so you don’t have to dig through my old posts: Tony and his wife Holly, a horticulturist by profession, operate Krock Nursery in Santa Barbara, specializing in rare and unusual agaves and other succulents for the collector market. The nursery focuses heavily on variegated plants and specimens with unique morphological features, like pronounced teeth and spines. While many of their plants go to overseas collectors, they also sell on online platforms such as eBay and Palmstreet.
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Tony and Holly Krock, true salt of the earth folks
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Tony is widely recognized for his expertise in agave propagation. He uses advanced methods (cringe-inducing for regular folks) such as coring or vertically cutting solitary agaves in half to stimulate the meristem tissue and force the plants to produce offsets (here is a demo Tony gave me a couple of years ago). This approach allows for the propagation of rare species that do not typically produce pups on their own. Tony has traveled extensively in Mexico; one of the agaves he and his travel companions discovered in Oaxaca in 2019 was described as a new species, Agave yucuanensis, in 2024.
Holly contributes significant horticultural research to the nursery and recently collaborated with pest control advisors to develop and test an effective organic treatment for agave mites (here is a post I did about her treatment protocol).
In 2019, the Krocks moved their operation from their backyard to a 30×100 ft. greenhouse they’re renting elsewhere in Santa Barbara. Initially, they shared it with orchid and tillandsia growers, but over time, they took over the entire space.
There’s plenty of room around the greenhouse, so in August 2024, they started to build a demonstration garden to showcase their favorite plants, including agaves, aloes, cacti, and caudiciforms. Their friend Zarac Lompart of West Inland Design helped with the hardscape and ran the machinery. And yes, there are rocks. Lots of great rocks, which made Kyle and me very happy.
The garden is still in its infancy, but when you look at the photos below, you can see the tremendous potential. With so many cool plants already in the ground and others waiting to be planted out, it’ll be spectacular in a few more years. I’ll definitely have an update down the line.
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| This stunner is a variegated Aloe ‘Hercules’. Believe me, they don’t all look this spectacular. I have a (small) one, and it pales in comparison. |
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| Lots of work still to be done, but squint and use your imagination! |
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| Lots of room, lots of plants |
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| This aloe is one of several specimens of ‘Pandan’, a hybrid between Aloidendron barberae and Kumara plicatilis (the latter is commonly known as the fan aloe). It was originally created by Ronald Regehr of Cactus Canyon Nursery in Vista, California, and the cuttings came from Jeff Chemnick of Aloes in Wonderland via San Marcos Growers. In fact, I believe Tony bought San Marcos’ stock plants. Another plant no longer available after San Marcos shutting down operations. |
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| These variegated Agave attenuata look perfect in the Krocks’ demonstration garden, but they’re a heartbreak plant in our climate. Not that that’s stopping me... |
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| So. Beautiful. |
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| Cacti, too! The one on the left is a very special Cleistocactus strausii, an extra hairy clone from the late Richard Bogart of Desert Images that he called ‘Super Nova’. Tony shared cuttings with Kyle and me. |
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| Totem pole cactus (monstrose form of Lophocereus schottii) |
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| This awesome groundcover is Dichondra repens from New Zealand. Holly said it does great most of the year but struggles a bit in the summer. I have some growing in the backyard, and I concur (and our summers get quite a bit hotter than in Santa Barbara). |
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| This cactus is called creeping devil (Stenocereus eruca) because it crawls along the sandy flats of the Pacific Coast of Baja California. I have a specimen that has tripled in size in just a small rectangular box Kyle made for me (check out this post; it also has photos of the massive clump at the Huntington in Pasadena). |
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Cereus forbesii ‘Spiralis’
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| One of the most beautiful specimens of Agave impressa I’ve seen, grown from seed by Nick Deinhart (Nick and Tony have been on many plant expeditions to Mexico together) |
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| Variegated fan aloe (Kumara plicatilis), the first of its kind I’ve ever seen IRL |
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| Pachypodium geay from Southwest Madagascar makes a great silhouette |
A lot of plants are still waiting to go in the ground, from 24-inch boxes to 1-gallon cans.
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| Another Aloe ‘Pandan’ |
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| Nolina longifolia Tony recently bought from San Marcos |
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| Quite a few Australian grass trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.) from San Marcos Growers |
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| The ultimate heartbreak plant for me, spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla). This specimen is perfection. I’ve tried and failed so many times that I’ve given up for good. This aloe hates our summer heat. Hates it. |
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| Variegated Aloe ferox, about as rare as it gets |
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| Agave utahensis ssp. eborispina, slow as molasses and finnicky to boot. It grows in a very inhospitable climate in northwestern Nevada and southeastern California and does not tolerate much water. |
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| Agave isthmensis × filifera ‘Krocky’ on the left and Agave ×romanii ‘Gypsy Queen’ on the right. Both started to rot at the Krocks’ home in Goleta so they’re moving them to their greenhouse location, which is outside the fog belt and gets more sun. |
As I mentioned, this is just the beginning of Tony and Holly’s demonstration garden. But the bones are in place, and the plants they’ve chosen are both rare and beautiful. I can’t wait to see the garden grow.
Follow Tony on Instagram (@agavekrock) to see pictures taken in habitat — he’s photographed so many cool plants. And if you’re interested in buying plants, check them out on eBay and Palmstreet.
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oh wow. I remember the coring video, which I'm impressed with and also can't imagine doing. His new beds are incredible, love the rocks. I've NEVER seen Hercules with such prominent variegation- not even close. The impressa, the attenuatas - gorgeous! Their new garden will continue to get more spectacular.
ReplyDeleteThe demonstration garden is already looking impressive. My eyes locked on that 'Pandan' and got stuck there for awhile. I've yet to see variegated Agave attenuatas like those anywhere else (except 'Ray of Light' which is relatively demure by comparison).
ReplyDelete