Agave Species, Single Mexican Tuberose
Agave polianthes
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Genus: | Agave (a-GAH-vee) (Info) |
Species: | polianthes (pol-ee-AN-theez) (Info) |
Synonym: | Agave tuberosa |
Synonym: | Polianthes tuberosa |
Category:
Perennials
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Evergreen
Smooth
Foliage Color:
Blue-Green
Height:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Spacing:
3-6 in. (7-15 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
Where to Grow:
Danger:
N/A
Bloom Color:
White/Near White
Bloom Characteristics:
Flowers are good for cutting
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Flowers are fragrant
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)
Seed Collecting:
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
New Market, Alabama
Show Low, Arizona
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Kennedy, California
Lindsay, California
Rumsey, California
Sacramento, California(2 reports)
Havana, Florida
Miami, Florida
Old Town, Florida
Rockledge, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Barnesville, Georgia
Braselton, Georgia
Mcdonough, Georgia
Honolulu, Hawaii
Anna, Illinois
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Independence, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Slidell, Louisiana
Moss Point, Mississippi
Poplarville, Mississippi
Denville, New Jersey
Bronx, New York
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Lake Toxaway, North Carolina
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Exton, Pennsylvania
Florence, South Carolina
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Seymour, Tennessee(2 reports)
Apple Springs, Texas
Irving, Texas
Lufkin, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Temple, Texas
show allGardeners' Notes:
Rating | Content |
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Positive | On Oct 8, 2018, JennysGarden_TN from Collierville, TN wrote: Single Mexican Tuberose is blooming now in my zone 7b garden. It returns every season. I really enjoy the sweet fragrance that perfumes my garden in the evening. |
Positive | On Oct 6, 2013, brendak654 from Anna, IL (Zone 6b) wrote: Tuberose bulbs are one of my first spring plantings about April 15th. I bring them out from downstairs where they have rested over winter. I plant them in a row in the garden where they will receive full sun and some cultivation. The bulbs grow in clumps and before planting, if the clump is larger than my small fist, I bust the clump in half before planting. They bloom for me in August and their wonderful fragrance permeates the air about dusk and they make an outstanding cut flower. Even cut - their fragrance permeates the air just before dark. Loved by florists. I have not had luck wintering them over in the ground, so by first of October when the ground is good and dry, I mow them off with the lawn mower and lift them, shake off the dirt and place into a tall airy basket (bas... read more |
Positive | On Mar 21, 2012, TexasGeek from Irving, TX wrote: I purchased a half dozen clumps late last spring on eBay and they grew wonderfully here. Tuberose have such a wonderful scent and make wonderful cut flowers as they slowly open up. They are now in my top 5 plants as for as scents go. The bulbs have overwintered just fine in Dallas and are already popping up this spring. |
Positive | On Aug 1, 2010, Crit from Sand Springs (Tulsa), OK (Zone 7a) wrote: I bought the bulbs to this plant in April at a street fair here. I planted some in a large (14-16" pot) right away and about a month later some more in the ground. The ones in the pot came up and folage did very well, however has not put up even one bloom. (It is now August 1) The ones in the ground have put up several shoots of blooms. Anyone have any input as to why on that? They both are in morning shade, afternoon sun, about 20 feet apart. |
Positive | On Feb 28, 2010, ladybug_pc from Adairsville, GA (Zone 7b) wrote: Tuberose has a wonderful fragrance. It blooms mid to late summer and the fragrance is more intense at night. I plant my bulbs in large pots and lift them each fall after the first frost kills back the foliage. I let them dry for a month to six weeks and then I store them in brown paper lunch bags. Last year my clumps grew quite large, and I separated some and planted them in the flower bed. We will see if they are able to handle the winter. This is a wonderful "old time" favorite (my grandmother grew tuberose), and it's well worth lifting and storing. |
Positive | On Jan 20, 2010, clanross from Lanexa, VA (Zone 7b) wrote: I am in zone 8b (southern Mississippi) and I planted my single tuberoses in a mulched flowerbed last spring. They were beautiful. Neighbors walking by on the sidewalk in the evening knocked on the door to ask me about the plant they smelled. The soil in the bed in very good and my tuberoses seem to have multiplied (from the number of grassy stems) but I won't know for sure until I dig them up. I watered in driest summer as they are next to roses and hydrangeas. Seemed very easy and should be hardy as I ordered them from "Tennessee Tuberoses". Can't wait to see them again this summer. Like Gardenias on a stick. |
Positive | On Jun 3, 2009, MavisFlowers from Lufkin, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: Lovely plant with delicate blooms on tall pillar-like stems with attractive clumps of foliage at base. Remarkably strong fragrance which perfumes the air around the plant making it ideal near a patio, porch or doorway. I have these at my main home and at my country cottage and they are a wonderful old-fashioned addition which attract much notice in your garden beds. Recommended! |
Positive | On Feb 7, 2008, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: Polianthes tuberosa has had its name changed to Agave polianthes (other synonyms: Polianthes tubulata, Polianthes gracilis). Tuberoses are still popular in Mexican gardens. They have been grown commercially for bulb distributors and florists in the San Antonio area for many years. In Zones 9 and 11, the elongated tubers may be left in the ground all year. In other zones, it is best to dig them up and store the tubers like gladiolus. Mid-spring is the best time to plant the tubers. I have read that once a tuber blooms that it does not bloom again. In other words, only new tubers bloom. |
Positive | On Nov 13, 2006, kman_blue from (Zone 6b) wrote: This plant has a very nice unique fragrance, which makes it worth growing even in pots in colder climates. |
Positive | On Jul 24, 2006, OldHouseGardens from Ann Arbor, MI (Zone 6a) wrote: I've grown tuberoses in pots here in zone-5/6 Michigan for years and absolutely love them -- as gardeners have for centuries. Not only were they grown by the Aztecs and in colonial America, but they were so popular in Victorian times that in 1893 a New York author claimed that "everyone who has a garden knows the Tuberose." I hope FlamingViolet will respond here, though, with some documentation about their origin. Every reference book I have consulted -- including the New RHS Dictionary of Gardening which is widely considerd the most up-to-date and authoritative encyclopedia of garden plants in English -- state that it is native to Mexico. So I'd like to learn more about the possibility that it originated elsewhere. |
Positive | On May 13, 2005, nick89 from Tallahassee, FL (Zone 8b) wrote: Attractive plant. The flowers are very fragrant and stand up to the intense summer heat better than those of the double variety. |
Positive | On Feb 11, 2005, franksabo from Brentwood, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: In victorian times the tuberosa was a very popular conservatory plant, however it tends to grow and blossom in the warmer climates in the USA. The tuberosa needs a long growing period inorder to blossom in early to late fall. |
Positive | On Aug 1, 2004, flamingviolet from Fremont, OH wrote: as a botanist,i must say... |
Positive | On Jul 21, 2004, azar464 from Cleveland, TN wrote: I grow these in southeast Tennessee. They take about two years to start blooming. This region is in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6A. So far I have had no problems, though for the last 2 years we have not had a particularly cold winter.The fragrance of the flowers is worth a little extra trouble. |
Positive | On Jul 3, 2004, mlathi from Den Haag, Hello,... |
Positive | On Sep 22, 2003, Tuberoselover from Stockton, CA wrote: I have never smelled anything so romantic or captivating! The history of this flower also includes that when you arrive in Hawaii, the tuberose is used in the leis because of their wonderful scent and beauty. This flower is also used in many Hawaiian wedding ceremonies. This is my first year with this plant. |
Positive | On Aug 25, 2003, berrygirl from Braselton, GA (Zone 8a) wrote: This was my first year growing this plant and I love it. It's growing in a wine barrel in full sun and the record rains we've had didn't seem to faze it. It fragrances my whole backyard; will definitely be getting more to grow next year! |
Neutral | On Aug 24, 2003, suncatcheracres from Old Town, FL wrote: My plants are about six years old, and have only bloomed twice. But after reading all of the above I see what I may have been doing wrong. The first year I planted bulbs in a pot and had the pot on a sunny deck by the front door in Middle Georgia and they did wonderfully. My plants are "The Pearl" and I thought I had large flowers and very sweet fragrance. |
Positive | On Aug 23, 2003, PurplePansies from Deal, NJ (Zone 7a) wrote: I can't say enough good things about this plant. The scent is intoxicating, (especially at night), and the pretty, waxy white flowers lend a tropical note to the garden. Care is not that hard, but plant is of course, tropical to semi-tropical. In areas where winters are colder, store for the winter. I do this by letting the tuberose stay out all fall. Before frost comes, place the whole pot in a cool garage, basement, porch, breezeway etc. They like the cool, winter rest. Don't put anywhere where temperatures drop below the thirties. I don't dig them because I don't think they like the disturbance. Given these tips, you should have good tuberoses for years to come. P.S. divide or separate tubroses when they become crowded and make sure soil is good, enrich soil in pot with com... read more |
Positive | On Jun 26, 2003, bikram wrote: Rajanigandha or Tuberose (in English) means "The Fragrance of the Night" in Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi... |
Positive | On Apr 14, 2003, Ispahan from Chicago, IL (Zone 6a) wrote: While this plant is indeed commonly cultivated in México, it is never called "azahar" (which is the word used for citrus blossoms, especially orange blossoms), but rather "nardo" or "azucena" (azucena being the generic term for any white, lily-like flower). The tuberose was already entirely domesticated by the indigenous civilizations of Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest, and forms of Polianthes tuberosa growing in the wild have never been discovered or seen. |
Positive | On Apr 3, 2003, Lavanda from Mcallen, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: This romantic flower comes in both single-flowered and double-flowered versions. |
Positive | On Mar 18, 2003, grdnmuse wrote: I love the fragrance and have one blooming right now on my sunny, south facing porch at Point Fermin CA(near San Pedro)! It seems a bit distressed, however, and I am experimenting with acidity and watering needs. Less water seems better, and a loamy soil may also help. I'll keep you posted. If anyone has input, please advise. |