Agave americana (American aloe, Century plant)

(2 user reviews)

This plant has a dense rosette of fleshy blue-gray leaves and produces tall, cream-colored flowers tinged with red or pink in summer.

Dyckias' tolerance of extreme heat makes them perfect for xeriscapes. Almost all are well armored with small but nasty teeth that require careful handling. But many are worth the occasional loss of blood, especially the relatively new cultivar 'Cherry Cola', which features deep, dark burgundy foliage. Bright orange blossoms appear in summer and are a magnet for hummingbirds. Dyckias are unique in being a plantable, in-the-ground bromeliad relative.

(1 user review)

There are many beautiful aloes besides the popular medicinal aloe (Aloe vera, Zones 10-11). Most have spectacular winter flowers, and some, like red aloe, have interesting foliage color that fluctuates, depending on water and sun, from green to a deep, red wine hue. Red aloe is easily propagated from cuttings and, over time, will form beautiful red-purple mounds with orange flowers.

A clump-forming succulent, red yucca has arching, leathery, linear foliage rising to between 2 and 3 feet tall. Dark olive-green leaves with no thorns or spines are sparsely covered with fibrous strands along the margins. Deep coral pink flowers with golden yellow throats crowd the length of the stalks that reach three feet or more. Foliage has a reddish bronze hue during winter's chill for year-round interest.