Agave victoriae-reginae or the Queen Agave is one of the smaller Agaves distinguished by its streaks of white on the sculptured geometrical succulent leaves that are held tight in clusters and spiral outwards.
It is popular as an ornamental, especially as it is more cold hardy than most, though as with many Agaves, be careful of the sharp points at the tips of each leaf.
Pretty cream coloured flowers with a red to purplish tinge are held aloft in erect racemes up to 4m in length with sometimes hundreds of flowers in each.
Being monocarpic, they only produce one flower in their lifetime. However they do produce off-sets so the death of one may just be replaced by a new off-set.
They go well planted individually in pots on a patio or in drifts of varying sizes in broad borders.
It is frost hardy providing the soil and roots remain dry, otherwise best moved under cover during winter.
One of the most attractive of all these 'living sculpture' plants and considered by many to be a 'Collector's item'.
Garden designers love them and they become more impressive as they age.