May 16, 2025

The local botanical grapevine has been buzzing since Texas Discovery Gardens greenhouse manager Roseanne Ferguson excitedly posted last month:

"The whale's tongue agaves are sending up flower stalks!" 

Native to the mountains of northeastern Mexico, the plant boasts a dense rosette of large, broad, silver-blue leaves barbed with gray-black spines. The leaf tip, sharp enough to punch holes in leather, is a rich red-brown. 

Roseanne Ferguson poses with the first bloom stalk on April 18 across from Fair Park. Photo courtesy of Roseanne Ferguson.

The whale's tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia) is immense, forming a mound three to five feet across and tall. But the flower stalk dwarfs that at 15 feet tall. It takes weeks to reach full length and then sends out a couple dozen randomly arranged rigid lateral branches. One or more dense clusters of sweetly fragrant yellow flowers tinged with green adorn each branch end. 

The plant takes 10 to 20 years to reach flowering maturity, gaining it the nickname “Century Plant." Sending up a stalk, setting buds, blooming and setting seeds takes months.

"I hope you will come by to witness this stunning event," says Ferguson. "Unfortunately, after it blooms, the entire plant will die. There are at least three. Don't miss this event!"

WHERE TO SEE AGAVE BLOOMS

Look for the agaves across from Fair Park on Robert B. Callum Boulevard at Gates 5 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) and 6 (Grand Avenue). Park in the Fair Park entrance and walk over.  

The intersection medians feature rocky garden areas landscaped in a Southwestern style. Each garden contains several whale's tongue agaves plus other plants.

The whale's tongue agave at Fair Park sets flowers early for its usual blooming season from June to August. In the months ahead, more agaves may set bloom.

The whale’s tongue agaves are a beautiful sight on the Robet B. Cullum Boulevard median. Photo by Amy Martin.

ADAPTED PLANT

Ferguson plans to harvest the agave seeds and raise several plants for the garden's popular twice-annual plant sales. 

Whale's tongue agaves typically grow in locations from 3,700 to 7,000 feet above sea level. Dallas is more like 450 feet. A bit mysterious why it thrives here, though it tolerates a wide variety of soils if well drained.

The plant prefers full sun or lightly filtered shade. It gets along with very little water but grows more rapidly with sufficient amounts. Tolerant of sunny summers, it's hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Roseanne Ferguson with a bloom stalk at the end of April, having over doubled its height in a week. Photo courtesy of Roseanne Ferguson.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

While at Fair Park, visit the lush, shady Texas Discovery Gardens for a hearty amble around the eight acres of grounds. Stop first in the lobby to check out the pink axolotl salamanders in their tropical tanks, and the cases of exotic insects in approximations of their native habitats. Butterfly release in the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House happens daily. Texas Discovery Gardens admission is $12 to $6. Memberships available.  

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