A gift from Reay’s sister many years ago the plant, featuring bright green, slightly concave, sword-like leaves, had thrived in its environment but was never expected to be anything more than a “happy camper” in a quiet part of the garden. That was until this summer when a large and hearty spike began emerging from the heart of the foliage.
Putting on a spectacle for all and sundry, the spike has continued to reach for the sky and now towers like Jack’s beanstalk, dwarfing neighbouring plants and leaving the Nebens awestruck. Finally, the mystery of the plant’s lineage became too much and Reay became determined to find out exactly what it was and where it was going.
With photograph in hand a Times super sleuth visited a local garden centre but found the ‘experts’ could not provide accurate identification. Gardening books were scoured and then the ultimate weapon was called in – ‘Google it,’ everyone agreed. Up came a mountain of information.
Armed with images, the Nebens have looked at the plant every which way and decided it could be one of several species of agave although the exact variety remains unknown. These beauties love arid, sunny climates but grow successfully in areas with good drainage. It usually takes at least eight years for the leaves to store sufficient nutrients needed to produce the magnificent flower spike but some agaves wait 60 years before they flower.
Sadly, this plant’s future is far from bright. The agave is monocarpic and dies after flowering. But if lucky, there is a chance the plant will form offshoots around the base and recreate itself.
Who knows, in 10 years time there could be a dozen giant ‘sky-scrapers’ waving in the wind.
Cactus climbs to great height
Towering agaves aren’t the only giants in the plant world. Geoff Ernst owner of Tirau’s Early New Zealand Museum has a columnar cactus of the genus cereus in his garden, which he thinks may be the tallest in New Zealand.
Planted in 1958, Geoff’s cactus is now more than 10 metres in height and showing no sign of calling it a day. Its garden companion, a prickly pear cactus, is not nearly as tall but it too is of titan proportions.
Geoff began collecting potted cacti and succulents when he was about 12 years old. “I kept most of them under a lean-to but thought I’d try a couple in the garden. I’ve never done much to them over the years but look at the result!”
