After more than a decade of careful nurturing at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, our Agave sisalana is going through one of the most extraordinary moments in its life cycle.

Having found the extra strength to have grown through the roof of the Arid Glasshouse earlier this year, its impressive flowering stem is over 5 meters tall, creating a spectacular sight for visitors!

About the Agave sisalana:

• The species are native to southern Mexico
• The Agave adapt to survive hot and dry climates
• The plant stores water in their thick leaves
• The Agave usually live for many years before flowering

It’s a very exciting time for us at the Gardens, as almost all of its buds have opened!

The Agave sisalana is monocarpic, meaning it flowers only once during its lifetime. Rather than flowering every year, the plant spends many years storing energy before producing a towering flower spike, buds and flowering until its death.

While it’s known as a ‘death bloom’, its story doesn’t end there.

As the flower fades, hundreds of tiny plants, known as bulbils, will fall from the flowering stem which will be collected and stored for future planting.
We’ve already started growing four clones of the mother plant, called ‘pups’.

The Agave’s final ‘hurrah’ is a very rare opportunity to see!

We’ve gone from ‘bloom watch’ to ‘death watch’ and were constantly tracking the plant’s development ahead of its dramatic final flowering event.

We’re getting very close to this being the last chance to take a look at the Agave for yourself!

Our Agave sisalana can be found inside the Arid Glasshouse (and seen from the Terrace), which is home to a living collection of cacti, desert plants, succulents and plants from dry regions of Africa, the Americas and Australia.

There’s still so much to see and plenty to do!

As we nurture the ‘pups’ born from our Agave sisalana, we hope to see another magnificent bloom in a decades (or more) time.

Follow our social media pages for further updates or click here to plan your visit.

As autumn approaches, it’s a great time to experience the Agave’s ‘final act’ and explore all of the events and activities happening at the Gardens!

Visit our ‘What’s On’ guide for details.

Access to view the Agave sisalana is included with your admission to the Gardens or free for members.

There are more ways to discover the beauty in nature – with a Gardens Membership.

You can enjoy year-round access to blooming flowers, growing plants and a variety of free events, such as the Artisan Markets, family fun days and live music (click here for listings); throughout every season!

Bonus! You’ll also get discounts in our Medicine Bakery Café and the Garden Shop. Not forgetting, special offer entry to Partner Gardens across the UK!

Most importantly, each membership supports the Gardens. As a charity, we don’t receive regular funding. Each Membership purchase supports our charity mission and the care and running of our Birmingham Botanical Garden.