Agave Cold Tolerance

The following list gives the cold tolerance of the most commonly cultivated agave species and cultivars. I compiled the following list from a variety of sources (see tab "Sources"). Frequently the various sources didn't quite agree; in those cases I used the mean value. This list should give you a good starting point for your own trials.

If your experience differs from the temperatures list, I would love to hear from you. Please post a comment at the bottom of this page. 


Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this list..I see a few that maybe I could have outside year round..in NS Canada.This is such a super 'blog' makes me green with envy at times,but look forward to reading..and the pictures are wonderful..

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    1. Thank you very much for your nice words. I really appreciate it. And I'm glad you found the information useful. Yes, some agaves are surprisingly hardy. You should try some!

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  2. Thank you for a great list! Do you have a suggestion for seed sources? I need seed for agaves that can survive down to at least 0 F.

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    1. Unfortunately, I have no experience growing agaves from seed, but here is one source:

      http://www.seedman.com/succulent.htm

      I hope this helps.

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  3. Wow. Just an amazingly helpful post. Thanks for your passion and generosity!

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  4. Thank you for this list! Very helpful as I'm assessing the state of my agaves this morning after another night of frigid temps well below freezing here in Austin TX!

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  5. Hello,
    You have an excellent blog with a lot of inspiration for us. We love to go around and visit prickly gardens. Very nice photos also.
    By the way, we are growing Agave Mr. Ripple in zone 7B very successful and we had it down to 4F one winter.

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  6. Seems like the temps listed for rum runner, cream brƻlƩe and desmetiana (all variegated plants) might be a little optimistic. I think the temp bottomed out somewhere around 28-ish here (in Fairfield, CA), and these plant types all sustained noticeable/significant damage - some smaller cream brƻlƩe succumbed. They were in a partially covered area, enough that I would expect the area to be frost free. Might be worth considering a bump to 30 degrees F on the chart for them. LOVE the blog !!

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    1. I agree, variegated forms like 'Rum Runner' and 'Creme Brulee' are more sensitive to cold damage than their all-green counterparts. I will update the chart.

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  7. Thank you for the list. I like how by clicking B (or C) at the top of the column, then sort A to Z, I am able to sort them with the hardiest first (instead of alphabetically.) Unfortunately, I could not take a screenshot; however few agaves are hardy in my climate.

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  8. Hello. I am having a lot of fun reading your blogs which I started doing recently. We bought a small property in the AZ desert, 16 miles west of Antares, AZ. Nothing seems to grow well there but, my feeling is that with a little bit of water, some cacti may be able to grow. Any advice on what kind of plants to try out first? I'd like to have some taller plants if possible. The smaller ones we can probably take care of in pots and be OK with them. Thank you so much for all the information you put together!

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    1. With supplemental water, you should be able to grow a wide variety of cacti and other succulents. I'm not an expert on Arizona gardening so I don't know what to suggest. Here are a few resources that might be useful:

      Jan Emming's website (he lives near Yucca): https://janemming.com/

      AZ Plant Lady: https://www.azplantlady.com/
      (she also has a great book called Dry Climate Gardening)

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