Mangave Mission to Mars

Mangave Mission To Mars is a remarkable and colourful succulent plant that is part of a series of hybrids resulting from the cross-breeding between Manfreda and Agaves. From the agaves, they display a remarkably architectural evergreen vegetation as well as a very perennial temperament, while they have their unique colours, less sharp spines and faster growth from the Manfreda. This Mission To Mars variety, low and very wide, offers an intensely spotted brown foliage on a green background, turning purple-red in the sun. Drought-resistant but not very hardy, it makes a beautiful subject to cultivate in a pot on the terrace. In seaside gardens or mild climates, it will thrive in a rockery. 

Mangave Mission To Mars belongs to the Agavaceae family, now included by botanists in the much larger Asparagaceae family. This plant develops quite rapidly into a rosette of 25 cm (10in) in height and 70 cm (28in) in width, composed of numerous succulent leaves. The long leaves are wide, gutter-shaped, tapered to a point, beautifully curved, and bordered by small, non-prickly cinnamon-coloured spines. Their thick, shiny leaves are almost entirely coloured purple on young leaves, gradually turning bronze green on older ones. Flowers will appear in favourable climates on mature plants, from August to October. From the centre of the rosette emerges a branched flower stalk bearing small white star-shaped flowers. Mangaves are plants for dry, well-drained soil, capable of withstanding brief frosts of around -5 to -7°C (23 to 19.4°F), depending on the variety.  They should be placed in full sun or, at most, partial shade in hot climates. The plant is evergreen.

To create exotic scenes in mild climates, Mangave Mission To Mars can be planted in a rockery, alongside other small agaves such as Agave montana, other differently coloured Mangaves, small agapanthus, or grasses like Carex comans Milk Chocolate or Stipa tenuifolia. Collectors of cacti and other succulent plants can highlight it on the patio or balcony by surrounding it with pots filled with sempervivum.