We stumbled across a great little human interest story in the 800 block of Texas Avenue. On the corner across from the Asian Gardens is a large agave plant (yes, the kind of plant Tequila is made from) that is about to bloom.
Texas Avenue Agave plant
We first saw and posted it on May 30, and shared it with some of the local gardening groups and it was a hit! The stalk on the bloom is HUGE- probably 15′ tall and the diameter of a small tree, and the reason it’s so exciting is that the agaves are monocarpic, which means it will bloom only once in its lifetime. The unfortunate thing is that apparently, the bloom is the plant’s final act before dying.
There are different varieties of agave that do bloom more often, but even so, the bloom may not appear for 10, 20 or more years, depending on the climate. We are hopeful that the Texas Avenue plant is a variety that does not die after bloom. The plants are often called Century Plants because it was originally believed they did not bloom for 100 years.
This is how the plant looked on June 15. The blooms will be yellow, and should be flowering soon.
It you would like to see the plant yourself, it is at the entrance of the 800 block of Texas Avenue at the intersection of Common Street, Milam Street and Texas Street/Avenue. It’s worth a photo!
