An amazing Agave

I've been traveling the last couple of days, on my way to Buffalo for the Garden Bloggers 2010 meetup  -- about 70 participants, I think, out of the very many of us who enjoy writing about our gardens, gardening experiences, and sharing with others.

It should be a blast;  I can't imagine how visiting gardens in Buffalo (many residents are apparently totally devoted gardeners during their growing season; look at this event (GardenWalk Buffalo) focusing on their gardens)- how couldn't visiting some of these gardens with fellow garden bloggers not be fun?

A high point of today's traveling (in Pittsburgh) was a visit to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

An exemplary green conservatory, it was fascinating to both visit their new conservatory area, interpreting the Headwaters of the Amazon and its habitats and ecology, and experience the wide range of warmth-loving plants that were on display in the historic conservatory galleries.

But, the current, eye-popping, and remarkable natural exhibit was their 50+ year old Agave americana, which started sending up a flowering shoot in spring, breeching the roof of their desert house, being whipped around by wind, taped up (literally with duck tape), and now which is flowering!  Wow.

This is remarkable;  my guess is that agave fibers helped protect the vascular system of the flowering shoot! 

Notice the duct tape and support.

Through the desert house roof!

Settling down this evening, I found a wonderfully retro, and well-maintained motel in Erie, Pennsylvania.  I certainly wouldn't have found such lovely perennials at one of the chain places!

Glass House Motel plantings