Family Asparagaceae
Originating from Texas, Mexico, and Arizona

• An imposing, rosette-forming evergreen with silvery to olive-green leaves.
• Creamy flowers spike 5m high in summer after many years.
• Tough and wind-hardy, it thrives in poor, free-draining soil in full sun.

A desert-born titan, Dasylirion acrotriche, the Desert Spoon, dominates with bold charm. Its spiky leaves vary from silver to olive, edged with fierce barbs. The leaf tips are adorned with fluffy tufts of fibre, adding a charming soft contrast to the plant’s silhouette. This architectural star thrives at Urban Jungle’s nursery, making an important specimen amongst other sun-lovers in our Mediterranean beds.

Prized for its form, it stands unblemished after five years unprotected in our display gardens. An epic show awaits patient gardeners, although it is one worth waiting for. A 5m tall flower spike erupts from the centre of the plant, bearing hundreds of creamy blooms. After this incredible display, the crown branches, slowly transforming into a multi-headed beast. It loves sun-baked, exposed coastal climates, making it ideal for the gardens of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Care Tips for Dasylirion acrotriche

• Soil & Sun: Needs poor, free-draining soil; full sun for best vigour, tolerates part shade
• Planting: Place it centre-stage—no shelter needed, it laughs at wind
• Watering: Light moisture while young, then bone-dry is fine
• Pruning: None required—gloves on if clearing dead leaves

Fierce and sculptural, Dasylirion acrotriche brings arid swagger to the dry gardens of East Anglia, particularly along its coast. It is ideal for planting in containers and makes a big impact in contemporary gardens, where its unique architectural qualities come to the fore. That being said, it’s a low-care, easy-to-grow icon for all gardeners craving drama.

Dasylirions have many seemingly contradictory qualities: they are tough and fiercely armed, yet from a distance their rosette of foliage has the appearance of a soft-tipped globe. Its many slender leaves even have a delicate look. They contrast spectacularly with the bushy clumps of fan-shaped leaves borne on Chamaerops humilis. The broad and pleated leaves of Brahea armata and Trachycarpus fortunei offer similarly stark contrasts in Mediterranean planting schemes.

Additionally, the striking form of the Desert Spoon contrasts perfectly with darker foliage and flowers, such as those of Glandora prostrata ‘Heavenly Blue’. Its dusky green foliage and dark blue flowered carpet is ideal for rambling around its rosette of leaves. Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ offer similarly dark and rounded contrasts.

For further reading on Dasylirion acrotriche visit https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1678