Go, Spot, Go!

Last summer, in one of my succulent frenzies, I sort of fell in love with this guy. . .

He is an agave -- Agave 'spot' -- to be precise.  (Tequila comes from the agave plant . . . although not this particular agave.)  I like the texture of this plant . . . and I'm pretty much a sucker for spotted leaves.

This agave was quite happy in a pot out on my patio all summer long.

Then, I brought him inside for the winter -- expecting him to go into a dormant stage.

But something odd started happening.

First, his leaves started to yellow, beginning from the tips and moving up.  I was disappointed, but I thought maybe it was part of the dormancy stage.  I cut off the offending leaves and kept him in a sunny spot and gave him some water whenever he was really, really, really dried out.

His leaves kept dying.  And the ones that remained (and a couple of new ones) were lighted in color -- and didn't have spots.

And then. . . something amazing started to happen! 

This. . .

grew up out of the middle of the plant!  He's going to flower!  That stalk-thing is over 5 feet tall!  And there is a bloom on the tip.

All of the information I can find on agaves (and the Spot, in particular) mention that they sometimes bloom in the summer.  And rarely indoors.  And here is my guy. . . ready to bloom.  Indoors.  In January.

I'm not sure if these plants normally lose their leaves and begin to die when they're going to bloom or not. . . but that's what mine seems to be doing.  My only hope for longer-term survival is this. . .

These two little "shoots" are popping up in the pot.  New little agaves?  Perhaps!

I'll keep you posted on the bloom . . . and the "shoots."  In the meantime, Spot is giving this gardener something to futz over in the dormant season.  Go, Spot, Go!