We interrupt our series on the gardens at the Huntington Library with this quick update on the progress of the bloom spike of my Agave attenuata.
At this point there flowers have opened on about three feet of the spike. The lowest ones are beginning to wither.
So far the blooms are proving to be extremely popular with the honeybees. (Notice the bee on the flower and ignore the bright red car in the background. Thank you.)
In this last image you can even see the pollen that the bee has attached to its back legs for transport back to the hive.
Thanks for your patience. With the next post we return to the gardens at the Huntington…
Previous posts on this plant:
One agave, eight ways (December Bloom Day)
When plants collide
I sampled a lot of honeys at the SF Flower and Garden show this last spring. I’m wondering what agave honey would taste like.
Great New Year’s Eve post! Let’s hope the bees start a resurgence in 2010.
WOW! Beautiful! I am rather jealous and will be checking back for further updates. Do you know, is A. attenuata one of the agaves that develops plantlets on the bloom spike after the flowers are spent?
Fabulous. Looks like the bees are having a happy new year, and I hope you do too!
Amazing plant. And what a surprise to find bees this time of year. I saw a few stumbling around myself today…Meanwhile, I had to scrape the car yesterday.
Happy New Year!
Brad, I’d be curious about agave honey, too. We had a hive find its way into the back yard for a few years a decade ago. Nearby was a cassava tree. The honey was OK, nothing special.
Susie, thanks! I’d read somewhere about the mysteries of hive collapse being solved and linked to pollen that was low in protein. Basically the bees were starving. Hopefully the agave pollen is more nutritious.
Loree, I’m not sure if this agave will produce pups on the bloom spike, but the plant is really generous about producing offsets below the main rosette that flowers. We’ve been giving away big chunks of this plant.
Pam, thank you. Have an amazing 2010 yourself.
TM, the bees sometimes take a while to wake up and venture out, but unless it’s raining, they make a “bee-line” (yuck yuck, I’m sorry…) for the plant…