Try again in 60 years: seeds from Halifax's celebrity agave snapped up

Little agaves could soon start popping up across Nova Scotia now that fans of the Halifax Public Gardens'most famous planthavesnapped up 158 of its seeds.

The 450-kilogram plant,affectionately nicknamed Agave Mariaby some, became a bit of a downtown landmark last year after it outgrew its greenhouse home.

With its stalk sprouting at a staggering rate of more than 15 centimetres a day for a stretch, it weathered chilly spring frosts, defying odds that it would survive.

By the time itsmetres-longasparagus-like stalk bloomed bright yellow flowers, the plant haddrawn in thousands of visitors.

Theagaveonly blooms only once in its lifetime and Halifax's plantstarted to die in the fall. Halifax Public Gardens staff said they spent weeks extracting seeds from its seed pods by hand.

Two of the many people to visit the plant when it was blooming wereLisaMacLeodand her mother.

MacLeod returned to the Public GardensThursday shortly after 10 a.m. to ensure she was first in line for a seed for her mother. They both have green thumbs and hope to find a spot where their seed can thrive.

"If you're from here, a more northerly latitude, you don't get to see a plant like that bloom, let alone go through its whole life cycle. It's really neat to see people as excited about something as simple as how plants grow and bloom," MacLeod said.

By the time staff handed out the seeds at noon Thursday, a line snaked around the block.

Agave americana are native to arid climates like parts of Mexico and usually live about 30 years. On average the plants bloom at about 25 years and then, with their reproductive duty complete, they die.

People who didn't snag a seed won't have another chance for a while. Public Gardens staff left a note advising people to try again in 60 years.