PLANT OF THE WEEK Queen Victoria Century Plant

Attributes: A beautiful succulent native to Mexico that makes an outstanding container plant. The thick, toothless leaves are adorned with dramatic white edges and tipped with a sharp spine. The plant forms a 15-inch-wide clump at maturity and blooms only once in its lifetime.
Bloom color: Cream to purple tinged (on 12-foot stalks)
Bloom time: Summer (once in its lifetime)
Culture: Queen Victoria Century Plant can be grown outdoors in well-drained, dry soil. It can stay year-round in a more rocky zone (7 through 11) but must be brought indoors to a sunny window during winter in colder zones. Grow this plant nationwide in containers using a sandy soil mix for cactus and succulents. Place the plant in a south window, or better yet, put outside in full sun after severe cold has passed. Water only biweekly indoors, more frequently during hot summer weather. Plants can be left outdoors for a unique display until severe freezes occur again in late fall (it's immune to light frosts).
Landscaping tips: A very striking and easy-care container plant for sunny windows, sunrooms, outdoor porches and decks. It can also be mixed with other cacti and succulents in larger pots, dishes and troughs and is wonderful in handmade hypertufa containers. Good companion plants include other species of agaves, yuccas, sedums and hen-and-chicks. Be sure to plant it with frost-hardy succulents if you plan to leave it outdoors well into fall; remember to bring it indoors before frost when planted with tender succulents.
Cost: Available as seedlings in small pots for about $5 at greenhouses that carry a variety of succulents. Larger half-gallon plants can be bought by mail order for about $12.
Source: Powell Gardens (www.powellgardens.org)