Agave franzosinii
I love how big and ghostly it is. I would need to clear a place for it to grow since I don't currently have a 20' wide area that is open. It's so beautiful that I would want to be able to see it though. I was thinking that I could plant a young one above the house amidst the jade grove and just remove more jade as the franz got bigger.
There are some big agaves that have twisted leaves like a franz near my friend Bill. Maybe I could ask the homeowner if I can trade them something for an offset.
Agave mapisaga var. lisa
As much as I love the franzosinnii, it's really only a consolation prize for this plant which is described as the largest agave. There is a famous one at the Huntington, which in my memory is 40' across, but in reality is probably only half that. Which is still huge.
I don't have space for such a giant and there aren't any available anywhere. The Huntington's newsletter says that there may be some at the LA Zoo but it's all just rumors. I should start working my contacts at the zoo. Who knows, in 20 years an offset may come available...
Agave desmetiana "Joe Hoaks"
This is the photo I took at the Inter-City Show last Summer. The tag at the show called it "Joe Hoal" but San Marcos Growers identifies it as "Joe Hoaks" so that's what I'm going with.
Its minty green and soft variegation seems very sophisticated to me, and since it's a desmetiana it probably offsets a lot which means there should be a lot of them out there. I think I just have to be patient until one crosses my path.
Agave bracteosa 'Mediopicta Alba'
I love all mediopicta albas, but this bracteosa really makes the most of the clean contrast between the colors and the narrow curly leaves. Maybe it could be paired with a variegated marginita to really make your eyes cross.
