Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Whale's tongue agave

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'

£25.99
Protect from hard frostSun-lovingEvergreen
Pot size
17cm / 2L £25.99

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Description

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie', the whale's tongue agave, builds one large rosette of broad, powder blue-grey leaves with wavy, scalloped edges and lengthwise ridges. It is a bold architectural plant for the sunniest, driest spot in the garden.

It is rated RHS H3, hardy to about -5°C, and evergreen. Winter wet does more damage than cold, so it needs sharp drainage, a gravel mulch and a rain roof over winter, or a pot that moves under cover from November to March.

Once settled it is drought tolerant, and it makes a centrepiece for a dry gravel garden, a large pot or a sunny exotic border, reaching about 1.5m high and 1.8m across in time.

What you receive: a plant in a 17cm (2L) pot.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Whale's tongue agave

Plant me in full sun and protect me when hard frost threatens.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Whale's tongue agave

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' needs full sun and well-drained soil. It is half-hardy to around −5°C and needs protection from hard frost.

Good for

Architectural Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H3 · Semi-hardy · down to around −5°C

RHS H3, hardy to about -5°C. Cold combined with wet is the real risk in a UK winter. Outside, plant it in sharp drainage under a rain roof left open at the sides. In a pot, move it under cover from November to March: a potted plant is less cold tolerant than one in the ground.

Position

Full sunSouth-facing

Full sun, ideally south-facing, in the warmest and driest spot you have. Keep it back from paths and seating, as every leaf ends in a sharp spine. It pairs well with other agaves and succulents.

Soil

LoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Sharply drained sandy or loamy soil; it is not fussy about pH. Work grit into heavier ground and finish with a gravel mulch so the base of the rosette stays dry. In a pot, use a gritty, free-draining mix.

Watering

Water through the first summer while the roots establish, letting the soil dry between waterings. Drought tolerant once established. Keep dry in winter. Read moreShow less

Water through the first summer while the roots establish, letting the soil dry between waterings. Drought tolerant once established. Keep dry in winter.

Mature size

Height1.5 m
Spread1.8 m

Growth habit

Tufted

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Native range

North-east Mexico (the species; 'Vanzie' is a garden selection)

Family

Asparagaceae

Also known as

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'

Genus

Agave →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How cold is too cold for Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'?

It is rated RHS H3, hardy to about -5°C. In the UK, wet is as much of a threat as cold, so sharp drainage and shelter from winter rain matter as much as the temperature. Potted plants should come under cover from November to March.

Do agave plants only flower once?

Yes. Agave ovatifolia flowers once, after many years, on a tall spike, and the rosette dies afterwards. It forms a single rosette without offsets, so until then it is a long-lived foliage plant.

How big does a whale's tongue agave get?

About 1.5m high and 1.8m across when mature, as one broad rosette. Allow for the full spread when choosing a spot. For more bold shapes, see our architectural plants.

Can Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' go in a pot?

Yes, and a pot is the easiest way to give it a dry winter. Use a gritty, free-draining mix and move it under cover from November to March, as roots in a pot are less protected from frost than roots in the ground. Browse more plants for pots.

What happens if I get poked by an agave plant?

Each leaf ends in a sharp terminal spine that can cause a painful puncture. Wear gloves when handling it, and site it away from paths, doorways and play areas.

Is Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' sold under other names?

'Vanzie' is an accepted cultivar name on the RHS database, a selection of Agave ovatifolia, the whale's tongue agave. Kew's Plants of the World Online treats Agave noah as a synonym of the species. You may also see it spelled 'Vanzi' or 'ovatifolium'; both are misspellings. See the rest of our agave collection.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Meet the family

Everything about Agave

Agave indoors comes down to one rule: maximum light, minimum water. This guide covers everything you need to grow it well in a UK home.

More about Agave care
Agave Care Guide
Why Grow Tropicals

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Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie'
£25.99