Welcome to the website for Starr Nursery, a mail order nursery specializing in  cactus and succulents and especially Agaves.  We are located in the desert southwest, which has a great climate for growing xerophytic plants. We have a wide variety of unusual, hard to find, and sometimes never before offered species of Agave that are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. We are always out looking for unusual forms and even undescribed species of Agaves. All the plants are identified to the best of our abilities using Agaves of Continental North America by Howard Scott Gentry, and the latest publications of recently described species.

If you are not familiar with this book, it is the "bible" for Agave enthusiasts. It was originally published by the University of Arizona Press in 1982 reprinted in 1998, and is still available through the University of Arizona Press. A good reference for horticultural information is the book Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants by Mary and Gary Irish. It was published in 2000 by Timber Press in Portland, Oregon. For more information contact us at gstarr57@cox.net 

We have been in business since July of 1985 and have been traveling to Mexico in search of exotic plants ever since we opened our doors. Agaves have been a passion since 1990, and because Mexico is the center of diversity, we continue traveling there to learn more about them. It seems that more questions arise than are answered on each trip. Here are some shots of the nursery staff and our favorite plants.

Greg	Nikki	Agave ovatifolia	Agave montana	Agave multifilifera	Yucca faxoniana	Ariocarpus fissuratus var. lloydii	Arizona Sunset

Freezing temperatures are back!: Although the monsoons have come and gone, we have had some late fall rains that, if they continue, would bode well for the spring wildflower season. If that's the case, I will definitely want to make some forays into the desert to check it out! I'll be out there taking pictures for the sequel to my book: Cool Plants for Hot Gardens. That only took 25 years to write, and now that I am more proficient, it should take half that to write part II. The book is available through my website ($25.00 with free shipping), Rainbow Gardens Bookshop website, B&B Cactus, Antigone Books in Tucson, Sheldon's Nursery in Tucson. My next book: Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers will be published by Timber Press, and should be out by May 1, 2012. http://www.timberpress.com/books/agaves/starr/9781604691986 Upcoming Events January 11, 2012 (7:00 PM -Wednesday) - Presentation for the Arizona Native Plant Society. January 21, 2012 (2:00 PM - Saturday) - Top 20 Shrubs talk at Tohono Chul Park. April 28-29, 2012 - Sonoran IX Conference in Tucson - Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society. June 7-8, 2012 - Master Gardeners Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

BACK IN STOCK!!!!! Agave ovatifolia Whale's Tongue Agave.  This very cool species is finally back in stock. Check out the availability page for pricing.

4 inch pot	6 inch pot sold out	in a landscape	in a landscape	in a landscape	El Rey!

 

 

TRAVEL SECTION: A passion of mine is to see plants in habitat, especially Agaves. If you would like to check out some photos from various trips, click here, or on the Travel button, which will take you to an index of the trips. There is a brief description of the trip, including the general area visited and some of the more prominent plants.