F
EAST your eyes on this curiosity and what do you see? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a mangave.
Of course it is!
Mangave? With dark green, scale-like fleshy leaves curling upwards into the elegant form of an artichoke, this newbie, aptly named Praying Hands, has been shortlisted for Plant of the Year at Chelsea Flower Show which blossoms into colour next week.
Mangave is a hybrid cross between an agave and manfreda which was bred by Hans Hansen, introduced by Ipswich plant and seed stockists Thompson & Morgan, and exhibited by Stonebarn Landscapes and Gardeners’ Question Time.
It boasts architectural qualities on fast-growing, hardier and fuller plants than the parents. A striking succulent specimen plant, mangave is a half-hardy perennial, tolerant to -5degC and drought-easy, requiring little water to flourish as a fabulous focal point in milder UK gardens.
In colder, wetter areas, Praying Hands would be best grown in containers and moved into frost-free and drier conditions over winter.
There’s no doubt it would make a rare and talked-about patio feature.
To continue the credentials, the mangave is an extraordinary departure from the usual star-shaped rosettes.
The tip of each leaf is finished with a maroon spine, these spines converging at the top where the artichoke comes to a point.
As a cross between an agave and a manfreda, it has proved hardier than an agave, as well as faster-growing, lacking those vicious spikes and with a fuller, tighter rosette, echeveria-style.
► Magnificent mangaves: Top and centre – Spiny, fleshy and offbeat, Praying Hands are pictured as a potted pair and as a solo close-up in the open air; above – the striking blooms of 2023 winner agapanthus Black Jack. Pictures courtesy of Thompson & Morgan.
A wow-factor display is surely guaranteed. Height 8in, spread 14in. This contender for Chelsea’s Plant of the Year award comes 12 months after T & M celebrated the top prize with agapanthus Black Jack which was Sparsholt College, near Winchester.
The spectacular deep purple, star-burst flower heads are borne on sturdy stems above strappy, mid-green foliage.
T & M are proud to proclaim that they’ve scooped the coveted Plant of the Year prize multiple times. As well as Black Jack, the firm took second spot last year by introducing Hydrangea serrata Gotemba Nishiki, exhibited by Stonebarn Landscapes, and gained third place with another of their introductions, Weigela Camouflage, also shown by Stonebarn Landscapes.
► Check out more details and costs online at http://www.thompson-morgan.com
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