Art & Sol Thunderbird Mangave (Manfreda x Agave 'Art & Sol Thunderbird')
Manfreda ex ah-GAH-vay 'Art & Sol Thunderbird'

Evergreen Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) Rosette, Upright in the Asparagaceae Family
An upright Mangave rosette with thick leaves densely spotted in dark red.

Manfreda x Agave 'Art & Sol Thunderbird' is part of Walters Gardens' ART & SOL® Mangave Collection (US Plant Patent PP31,248). Thick, flat leaves are covered almost entirely in dark red spots, forming a refined, upright rosette whose color works equally well in combination containers or against brightly colored pots. Reaches 8-12in tall and 10-12in wide; grown as a container annual or overwintered indoors outside its hardy zones (9-11).

Pros

  • Dense dark red spotting covers nearly the whole leaf
  • Refined, upright rosette, compact footprint
  • Deer and rabbit resistant
  • Drought tolerant once established

Cons

  • Not reliably winter-hardy outside zones 9-11; needs container culture or indoor overwintering elsewhere
  • Red spotting can fade in low light or indoors
This plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 8 - 12 inches tall. 10 - 12 inches wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 9b - 11b (Usually hardy to 25° F)
Tags Adaptable, Annual in Chicago, Colorful Foliage, Container, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Evergreen, Full Sun, Good for Accents, Good for Beginners, Good for Rock Garden, Low Maintenance, Medium, Modern Garden, Normal Soil, Perennial, Potentially Allergenic, Proven Winner Selection, Rabbit Resistant, Slow Growth Rate, Specimen, Succulent, Tender Perennial, Thrillers, Tolerant of Hot Dry Site, Tolerant of Poor Soil, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Well-Drained Soil
Foliage Color

Commonly Planted with...

Echinacea, Sedum, Salvia, Verbena, Hemerocallis, Festuca, and Gaillardia.
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 05/17

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!