Trudi and Bruno Wellauer

This year, in August, we lost our dear friend Brian Ritchie. One month later, we thought the agave plant that he gave us six years ago was dying too. Not a surprise after all those heavy frosts in Kawerau.

But suddenly a flower head started growing rapidly. It is now two weeks old and we think it has not reached its full potential; the stem can grow up to 10 metres.

The agave plant dies after blooming because it is monocarpic, meaning it expends all its stored energy of a lifetime into a single, massive reproductive event.

Our plant grew from seeds given to Brian by his father.