This plant only blooms once every 10-30 years and then dies.
It may sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it’s real! This is the Agave americana, also known as the century plant. It was once thought to bloom every 100 years but has since been proven to only live up to 30.
At the end of the Agave americana’s life, it produces a huge flowering stalk, which can reach up to 30 feet. While it’s blooming, small offshoots grow in the soil near the base that can be removed and replanted to produce a new agave plant! Once the plant finishes blooming, it shrivels and dies.
If you’re in Louisiana and interested in this unique spiky plant, you’re in luck. We’re part of the century plant’s native growth area.
Even the base of the plant grows very large (around 6 feet tall) so placement is important when considering planting one. They prefer well-drained soil, full sun, and require little water. Likewise, they are very heat and drought-tolerant, but make sure you cover them to protect them from frost in winter.
