Glasshouse Roof Cut Open To Make Room for Birmingham's 18-Foot Agave as It Reaches 'Death Bloom'

An 18-foot agave at Birmingham Botanical Gardens has grown so tall staff have had to cut open the glasshouse roof so it can complete a once-in-a-lifetime 'death bloom' before dying. The growth was so rapid that the spike began poking through the Gardens' 19th‑century Arid Glasshouse. For a plant of this size, the final bloom can last more than half a year. Death Bloom Among Desert Plants From Around the WorldThe agave is not the only attraction inside the Arid Glasshouse. Visitors to the Gardens can view the plant as it moves through the final stage of its life cycle inside the Arid Glasshouse.