By Richard Wright

GARDENING

I’m grateful to Don Prescott for highlighting a star of a plant, which does especially well down his southern Wight neck of the woods but will survive almost anywhere.

It is one of the vast agave family, but, unlike some of the family which flower once — often after many decades and then die — this succulent variety will spike into bloom year on year and sometimes more than once a summer.

I don’t pretend to be an agave expert and all the varieties I have had dealings with have been cream flowered, but, as Don’s picture shows, his has delightful pink blooms.

He bought it from B&Q back in 2005 and stuck the 5ins plastic pot in an old chimney pot until, he says, his long-suffering wife, Rosemary, had had enough of it.

So, five years ago, he dug a hole in one of the terraces — and last month, as he says, voila!

Caribbean agave, Agave angustifolia — in the Prescotts’ case marginata is added to that, referring to the variegation — is a born survivor, as Don has proved.

In some parts of the world, notably Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, it flourishes in habitats ranging from sand dunes, to scrub to woodland, so hardly surprising Don’s lack of attention had no effect.

I will return to agave in the future because these true survivors are brilliant value.

Talking of succulents, I was sent this picture of an unusual planter in St Ives in Cornwall, a living example of mild climate. The photograph of the planter was sent to me against the backdrop of an azure Cornish sky by Nick and Wendy Miller.

It would be a good example to follow, perhaps.

IMAGE: Don Prescott’s pink-flowered agave.

For more on this story go to: http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/gardening/caribbean-dream-is-a-true-born-survivor-66389.aspx