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An agave americana, also known as a “century plant,” has a center stalk that has grown to 20 feet. In the next few weeks it will likely bloom and then die.

An agave americana, also known as a “century plant,” has a center stalk that has grown to 20 feet. In the next few weeks it will likely bloom and then die.

Ann agave Americana on Milford Street is ready to bloom on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The plant lives 10-30 years, then shoots up a 20-foot-tall stem that looks like a giant piece of asparagus. After a few weeks, it flowers and then it dies.

Anyone walking or driving through the Museum District will likely want to stop and take a selfie with a giant agave plant putting on its once-in-a-lifetime show at the curb of a private residence.

The plant, an agave americana, also called a “century plant,” is in the final stage of its life and has shot up a 20-foot stalk that looks like a huge piece of asparagus — and it’s still growing. Its flower should bloom sometime in the next two to three weeks.

It’s in the front yard of Richard Brown and Stephen Elison, in a sunny spot between the sidewalk and street.

“It’s really nice that people notice it. It was important to me to put it there, and I was happy it grew well,” Brown said. “Especially during COVID, people were taking pictures in front of it. It’s satisfying that people appreciate what we’re growing.”

Brown and Elison got the plant eight years ago on a trip to Garner State Park in West Texas. Brown saw the agave plant — then very large — and knew that if it could survive the cold they occasionally got there, it could survive the occasional freezes we get in Houston.

He got a 4-inch “pup” and let it grow in a pot for four years before transplanting it in the ground. Once planted in the ground, it grew quickly, said Brown, a retired CPA and an avid gardener.

About three weeks ago, it was obvious the plant was changing, and when the stalk came up, it grew 5 feet in five days.

Fran de la Mota, director of horticulture at the Houston Botanic Garden, explained that the plant’s name is misleading because it doesn’t really live 100 years — even if it takes its entire lifetime to build the energy to produce that one stalk and its one flower.

This agave plant is a monocarpic succulent, meaning that it flowers just once in its lifetime. It can take 10, 20 or even 30 years until it does, and even then, the showiest part is the big stalk rather than the flower that will sit on top.

Technically, the agave americana is part of the asparagus family and is native to Mexico and Texas, though the plant has spread around the world.

“The agave has become a common sight in the Mediterranean and around the world,” de la Mota said. “I’m from Madrid, Spain, and, growing up, agave plants were a common sight along the beach. It’s almost as much a part of the Mediterranean as figs and olives now.”

He said the plants can grow to be 5 or 6 feet tall and just as wide, with the size varying by species and by how much sun it gets.

Agave plants prefer full sun and well-drained soil and are both cold and drought tolerant, surviving in temperatures down to 14 degrees.

When this plant finally flowers and dies, that won’t technically be the end of it. It has spawned a few pups and Brown put them in pots so that he could bring them in during cold weather until they’re big enough to survive.

Diane Cowen has worked at the Houston Chronicle since 2000 and currently its architecture and home design writer. Prior to working for the Chronicle, she worked at the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune and at the Shelbyville (Ind.) News. She is a graduate of Purdue University and is the author of a cookbook, "Sunday Dinners: Food, Family and Faith from our Favorite Pastors."

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