If you have been on the fence about trying one of the Art & Sol Mangave varieties at your home, Moonglow will seal the deal. Moonglow is one of four selections that will make their debut in 2026 and bring the collection to 10.

If you are on the fence, I see that as a good thing because at least you have heard of Mangave, that totally new plant that is a cross between the agave and the manfreda. Art & Sol Moonglow Mangave is so exotic looking with silver-blue leaves and dark purple spots. It glows under UV light. It grows to 10 inches in height with a 16- to 20-inch spread. Moonglow would be perfect in containers, but we have also fallen in love with it in beds where golden foliage can play a part in the mix.

I opened with Moonglow because of its rare color, but Art & Sol Aztec King Mangave is also making its debut next year and it is as the name suggests. It can reach 24 inches in height with a spread of 38 to 42 inches. This one cries for a tall urn, olive jar or container on a pedestal. But in a bed, it shows off its large silver green foliage and is like the king watching over his subjects.

Of the four varieties making their debut in 2026, Art & Sol Silver Fox Mangave would be the one I would call the winner because of sheer beauty. It gets about 10 inches tall with a spread of 16 inches. The official description is light green with a waxy coat for a silver glow. Do me a favor and think silver. You will see marginal teeth but touching them will leave you with no pain. We’ve used them with a colorful mix of flowers in a bed where Silver Fox is an elegant "look at me" complement.

The best complement or contrasting partner may very well come from the fourth variety making its debut and that is the one with the craziest name, Purple People Easter. It will be slightly larger than Silver Fox reaching 16 inches in height with a 16- to 24-inch spread. As the name suggests, the foliage is indeed purple. The official description is sturdy blue-green leaves with reddish-purple spots appearing purple from a distance.

Most of the plants suggest hardiness range from zones 9a to 11b. There are some that will say 8a like Lavender Lady and zone 7b for Bad Hair Day. Don’t let that deter you in the slightest. They are among the easiest plants to grow in containers and move to protection. The smaller ones are relatively easy to dig up from beds and move. I am in zone 8 and have only lost a couple to winter freezing in the last four years. They need sun and fertile well-drained soil. Despite their southwest appearance they appreciate and reward watering. The reward is growth, beauty and surplus.

The Art & Sol Collection is coming from the Mad About Mangave group. Mad is synonymous with FUN. They are fun to grow, and it's fun deciding how to use them whether in containers or in the landscape, but the fun and madness come with the "circle of life."

They do bloom, boy do they bloom. The bloom stalks can reach 8 feet tall and will bring in pollinators. I’ve seen bees and based on the manfreda we grew at the National Butterfly Center in South Texas I suspect butterflies and hummingbirds will visit too. Let me know what you see.

Note, I said the "circle of life" because as the bloom period finishes, the plant starts a diminishing of the center rosette. Now you have opportunities to propagate offsets or shoots, or maybe even tiny plantlets called bulbils. The madness is perhaps what you do with them, a fun problem indeed.

You may also be able to harvest some offsets without a bloom stalk ever formed. I have harvested offsets from just purchased nursery plants. This is like the idea of separating hostas or daylilies but lifting plants to make the separation.

Now is the time to make plans for next year’s garden and to include Mangave in special pots or places.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

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