Beschorneria

Beschorneria - Mexican plants allied to the Agaves, but hardier and more easily grown. They perish inland, but in warm shore-gardens several kinds thrive in the open air, their fine bluish-green leaves, like those of a Yucca but more fleshy, without spines, and often a yard long and several inches wide, create an effect unlike any other hardy plant. When well established they bloom freely, and though the flowers are only small and mostly green in color, the large leafy bracts, the flower-stalks, and the great arching stems themselves, are of so vivid a crimson as to make a striking picture. They need all the sun they can have, a light rich soil, and a dry place such as the crest of a sheltered bank or the foot of a warm wall. Several kinds have been tried successfully, such as B. yuccoides, B. bracteata, and B. tonelii, but all are similar in effect, though seldom seen except in the shore-gardens of the south and west.