My Prodigies

These amazing agave americana pups, and their long — longer — longest runners, were part of an agave pup and bulbil harvest I finally got around to on Sunday afternoon. A legacy of winter’s rains, the Rancho’s agaves have been sending out little clones of themselves in numbers I’ve not seen before. Circling their parents like satellites, pups like these began appearing in force about a month ago … traveling under, then pushing out from both weed-block and gravel to show off in the sun, the longest of this trio’s runners is over 6 feet! After dislodging its pup with my weeding tool, I wrapped my hands firmly around its base and pulled … and pulled … and kept pulling, until it finally came loose. This was right on the street corner at the rear of the Rancho and once I had it out of the ground, runner flopping around like some newborn E.T. life-form, did I notice that a passing car had been watching its extrication the whole time. The look on the passenger’s faces was priceless … Who knew something so long would  be attached to this small plant? Despite the runner being taller than myself, I draped it nonchalantly over my shoulder and moved on to the next one … although just as surprised by this agave’s magic trick as they were, I couldn’t let them know that, could I?  …

The bulbils — agave clones that grow out of their parent’s base — were in abundance as well, and altogether I harvested at least 25 mini-versions of my fave succulents. Some of them are beautifully classic blue-gray, like these; others variegated and striped yellow-green; all will grow to be big and strong like their parents … And, all will be given away to friends. It’s a great feeling knowing that my pups will be going on to terrific homes, adding color and sculptural beauty to other landscapes … to one day surprise their adopted parents with their own little prodigies.