Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Saturday - April 28, 2012
From: Sedona, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Cacti and Succulents
Title: Preserving the agave bloom for decoration from Sedona AZ
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have an agave century plant which is starting to bloom. Is there some way I can preserve the flower as a decoration piece?ANSWER:
Sorry, we really don't think so. Leave it on the agave as long as you can, and then cut it down and discard it. The plant will die, but there should be pups all around it so you can plant new ones. We have answered a very similar question several years ago, here is our previous Mr. Smarty Plants question.
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