J.C. Raulston Agave
Agave 'J.C. Raulston'. USDA zone 7b-10b, hardy to 0F. Lives: Back patio.
About this J.C. Raulston Agave
Agave 'J.C. Raulston' is a cold-hardy agave hybrid named in honor of J.C. Raulston, the influential plantsman and director of the North Carolina State University Arboretum who spent decades introducing underused hardy plants to American gardens. The cultivar forms a medium-sized, tidy rosette of stiff, dark green leaves edged with pale yellow to creamy white margins and tipped with a sharp terminal spine — giving it a bold, architectural silhouette while remaining a manageable size for home gardens. It is considered one of the more cold-tolerant agaves available to southeastern and south-central growers, reportedly hardy to around 0°F in well-drained conditions, making it genuinely viable for Oklahoma winters without the anxiety that comes with the more tender species.
Picked up at The Greenhouse in Norman on April 11th, 2026. The variegated margin catches light beautifully and the cold hardiness makes this one of the more practical additions to the patio collection.