Structure & accents
Agave
The strongest single shape available in a low-water palette. One well-placed agave does more compositional work than a bed of shrubs — which is also why the wrong one, three feet from a pool step, is a genuine hazard.
Essential cost band
The workhorse option. Does the job, lasts, and is what most of a yard is made of.
Colour families
- Blue-grey
- Green
- Variegated
Families, not products. The exact colour gets chosen off a physical sample against your house.
What is true of this material
- Water
- Very low — overwatering is the usual way to kill one
- Drainage
- Wants it sharp; a wet clay pocket will rot the crown
- Watch
- Many species carry terminal spines — placement is a safety decision
Ask whoever bids this
“Which species is going in, and does it have spines at child height?”
Attributes
- TypeStructure & accents
- Water useVery low
- ExposureFull sun
- What it is doingSculptural
- Near the poolKeep it back