Nolina nelsonii

The Nolina nelsonii is a Mexican botanical species with remarkable graphics and astonishing hardiness in arid conditions. This evergreen shrub plant in dry terrains forms a beautifully gray-blue sphere, composed of long, straight, pointed, shiny leaves, carried by a short trunk. This nolina, which flowers in a large panicle of pale yellow flowers, will seduce lovers of exotic and hardy plants. A very beautiful plant for a dry garden, a gravel garden, or a dry rockery, it also grows very well in a pot in cold regions.

The Nolina nelsonii, also called Blue Nolina, is a plant of the agavaceae family, native to desert and mountainous regions of northern Mexico. This plant presents itself in its young age as a simple tuft of straight leaves, then develops a trunk that can reach several meters high in its natural environment. This plant can reach about 1m (3ft) in all directions for the foliage, and up to 3m (10ft) in flowers. Its leaves, 50 to 70cm (20 to 28in) long, linear, narrow and rigid, have finely toothed edges. They are gathered in a dense rosette at the top of the trunk, a rosette that can count up to several hundred leaves. Their color is a pale green strongly tinted with blue and gray. When the plant is mature, it produces a very tall, feathery, branched inflorescence, counting hundreds of small yellow-cream flowers. This flowering takes place in spring, and gives way to the formation of 8cm (3in) long capsule-shaped fruits. They contain oval seeds of light brown color, measuring 2-3mm (1in) in diameter. After flowering, the rosette dies and the plant develops lateral trunks.

The Nolina nelsonii seems even hardier and easier to perpetuate when planted in poor, rocky soil, or composed of a good portion of gravel that allows perfect drainage of moisture. Some sources estimate that the plant is able to survive fairly severe frosts, around -12°C (10.4°F), if they are of short duration and the plant is established in suitable soil. Naturally, it will find its place in a large rockery, on a difficult slope, in full sun, or even in arid conditions. This plant is ideal for brilliantly structuring the center of an exotic bed. In warm regions, it can be planted alone or combined with Puya caerulea, Agave americana, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), giant fennel, fairly hardy cactus candles (Cleistocactus strausii), Aloe aristata, and equally undemanding viperines from the Canary Islands. It can also be installed in a very large pot on the terrace, or next to a swimming pool, carefully choosing a sheltered spot in full sun.