Century plant shoots up flower stalk in Cedaredge

Written by Bob Borchardt
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 00:00

Cedaredge residents Bruce and Linda Croft are the proud owners of not one, but two Century plants, one of which is blooming, with a flowering stalk towering more than 14 feet tall.

Century plants (aka desert agave) are unique in that they bloom only once in their lifetime, before dying.Dubbed the Century Plant for its longevity, the plant actually lives an average of 25-30 years, spending most of its life as a cluster of leaves. Flowering is delayed for up to 25-30 years, but when it does bloom, stand back! The stalk literally erupts from the center of its leaf cluster, growing at an unbelievable rate until it reaches up to 15 feet in height.

The blooming spike is so tall, and grows so fast, that it saps all the resources of the plant. The plant blooms for several weeks, producing beautiful yellow-orange flowers, said Linda, and then it dies. All that is left is a 15-foot spike and pods filled with thousands of seeds. Linda said the plant survived the winter (which it is not supposed to do) and actually grew more than a foot each day since starting to bloom. "And it gets so beautiful," she said.

When asked, why they chose such an unusual plant, Bruce answered, "The deer don't like it, it attracts humming birds, and it requires very little irrigation." He added, "I'd like to have more cactus."

The Crofts are inviting area residents to drive by their residence at 1180 SE Deer Creek Drive to see this spectacular plant while it is still in bloom, the focal point of their "Sonoranesque" landscape.