Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Racing Stripes Mangave: A Striped Summer Pot Among the Lavender
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Racing Stripes mangave is a large, upright rosette of stiff, dark green leaves, each with a broad lime to chartreuse stripe down the center. The spines along the edges start yellow and age to cinnamon, and the whole plant looks like a striped green star.
Unlike many mangaves it does not develop reddish spotting, so its look stays clean and graphic. It is a true focal point plant, and it asks for very little.
Racing Stripes at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | x Mangave 'Racing Stripes' |
| Foliage | Dark green with a broad light green central stripe; small teeth and a sharp tip spine |
| Size | 14 to 18 inches tall, 22 to 28 inches wide |
| Flowers | Rarely flowers; grown for the foliage |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 9 to 11 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Deer and rabbits | Resistant |
Why it works beside lavender
Lavender is soft, gray and billowy. Racing Stripes is stiff, green and sharp. Put a pot of it on a gravel patio or at the corner of a lavender bed and each makes the other look more interesting. They also agree completely on care: full sun, sharp drainage and long stretches without water.
Since it lives in a container, you can move it around until the arrangement looks right. Try a tall pot at the end of a lavender row, or a low bowl on a sunny step with lavender spilling around it. The Companion Plant Planner is handy for working out where the pot will sit.
Potting and summer care
- Mix: cactus mix or a gritty, fast-draining blend, in a pot with a drainage hole.
- Sun: full sun brings the strongest leaf color. Harden it off gradually in spring so the leaves do not sunburn after a winter indoors.
- Water: water deeply when the mix is dry, then let it dry again. It handles humid summers better than most agaves as long as the soil drains fast.
- Handling: wear gloves when repotting. The tip spines are sharp, and the sap can irritate skin.
Bringing it in for winter
Racing Stripes is not winter hardy in Michigan. Move it indoors before nights fall below about 40 degrees F and give it the brightest window you have, or a greenhouse bench. Water sparingly through winter; cold, wet soil is the main way these plants are lost. Check now and then for mealybugs and scale, which can show up indoors. Your Frost Date Estimator results tell you when to start watching the forecast.
About the plug tray
It is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray, a good fit for growers potting up container plants for the season. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Can I plant it in the ground in Michigan?
Only for the summer. If you plant it in a bed, dig it up and pot it before frost. A container is much easier.
Will it bloom?
It rarely flowers. Think of it as living sculpture rather than a flowering plant.
Is it safe around pets and kids?
It is an ornamental, not for eating, and the spines are sharp. Place it where people will not brush against it.
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