Yuccas grow over much of North America; hardiness depends on species. All have tough, sword- shaped leaves and large clusters of white or whitish, rounded to bell-shaped flowers. Some are stemless, while others reach tree size. Best in well-drained soil.
Taller kinds make striking silhouettes, and even stemless species provide important vertical effects when in bloom. Some have stiff, sharp-pointed leaves; keep these away from walks, terraces, and other well-traveled areas. Yuccas are not usually browsed by deer.
Young plants of some species can be used as indoor plants; they withstand the dry indoor atmosphere and will grow well near hot, sunny windows. Give moderate water; feed monthly during growth with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Buy 1-gallon size or smaller; set out in ground when plants become too large for indoors. Successful indoors are Yucca aloifolia (but beware of sharp-pointed leaves), Yucca elephantipes, Yucca filamentosa, Yucca gloriosa, and Yucca recurvifolia.
spanish bayonet, spanish dagger
yucca aloifolia
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Native to the South.
- Slow growth to 10 feet by 5 feet or larger; trunk may be single or branched, sometimes sprawling in picturesque effect.
- Stems densely clothed in dark green, sharp-pointed leaves to 212 feet long and 2 inches wide.
- White flowers (sometimes tinged purple) to 4 inches across, in dense, erect clusters to 2 feet tall in summer.
- Moderate water.
- Variegata has green foliage edged in yellowish white.
banana yucca
yucca baccata
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to the Southwest.
- Slow growth to 3 feet high, 5 feet wide.
- Foliage clump may have no stem or a short, prostrate one.
- Thick, stiff leaves to 2 feet long, 2 inches wide have fibers along the edges.
- Large, fleshy flowers in late spring are red-brown outside, white inside, in dense, 2 feet-long clusters.
- Fleshy, edible, bananalike fruit to 6 inches long.
- Little water.
- Compactum is somewhat smaller than the species.
soaptree yucca
yucca elata
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to the Southwest, northern Mexico.
- Slow growth to 620 feet tall, 810 feet wide, with single or branched trunk.
- Leaves to 4 feet long, 12 inches wide.
- Tall spikes of white flowers in summer.
- Little water.
GIANT YUCCA
yucca elephantipes(Yucca gigantea)
- Zones CS, TS; USDA 9-11.
- Native to Mexico.
- Fast growing (to 2 feet per year), eventually 1530 feet tall, 8 feet wide, usually with several trunks.
- Leaves 4 feet long, 3 inches wide, dark rich green.
- Striking silhouette alone or combined with other big-scale foliage plants; out of scale in smaller gardens.
- Large spikes of creamy white flowers in spring.
- Does best in good, well-drained soil with regular water.
- A variegated form has pale green leaves with broad cream-colored stripes.
adam's needle
yucca filamentosa
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to the Southeast.
- Stemless plant to 212 feet tall, 5 feet wide.
- Stiff, dark green leaves 212 feet long, 1 inches wide, with long, loose fibers at edges.
- Blooms in late spring and summer, with lightly fragrant, yellowish white flowers, 23 inches wide, carried in tall, narrow clusters to 47 feet or taller.
- Looks similar to Yucca flaccida and Yucca smalliana.
- One of the most cold hardy and widely planted yuccas.
- Moderate water.
- Bright Edge has leaves edged in yellow; 'Color Guard' and 'Garland's Gold' have creamy gold leaves widely edged in green.
- Variegata has green leaves edged with white.
yucca flaccida
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to the Southeast.
- Stemless.
- Differs from Yucca filamentosa in having less rigid leaves, straight fibers on leaf edges, and somewhat shorter flower clusters.
- Moderate water.
- Golden Sword has yellow leaves edged in dark green.
- Ivory has out-facing rather than drooping flowers.
soapweed
yucca glauca
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS; USDA 6-9.
- Native to central and southwestern U.S. To 34 feet high and wide or larger, with short or prostrate trunk.
- Stiff, narrow, 1- to 212 feet-long leaves form a clump 34 feet wide.
- Leaves are grayish green, edged with a hairline of white and a few thin threads.
- White summer flowers bloom on a spike 45 feet tall.
- Moderate water.
mound-lily yucca, spanish dagger, soft-tip yucca
yucca gloriosa
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Native to the Southeast.
- Much like Yucca aloifolia; generally multitrunked to 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide.
- Plant is usually stemless in youth.
- Leaf points are soft and will not penetrate skin.
- Summer bloom.
- Good green color blends well with tropical-looking, lush plants.
- Needs moderate water; too much moisture may produce black areas on leaf margins.
- Leaves of 'Variegata' are edged in creamy white.
- Bright Star is a slow-growing dwarf form (to 2 feet tall, 5 feet wide) with broad margins of golden yellow.
pale-leaf yucca
yucca pallida
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Native to Texas.
- To 112 feet tall, 212 feet wide.
- Compact rosette of 1- to 2 feet-long, pale blue-green leaves with thin yellow or brownish margins and a spine at the tip.
- Branched spikes to 7 feet high hold many pale green to creamy white flowers in spring.
- Little to moderate water.
curve-leaf yucca, soft-leaf yucca
yucca recurvifolia
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Native to the Southeast.
- The botanical name of this plant is a bit of a moving target: You may find it listed as above or as Yucca gloriosa recurvifolia, Yucca g.
- tristis, or Yucca pendula.
- Whatever its name, it forms a single trunk to 610 feet tall; it is unbranched in younger plants but may be lightly branched in age.
- Reaches 68 feet wide; spreads by offsets to form large groups.
- Beautiful blue-gray leaves are 23 feet long, 2 inches wide, sharply bent downward; leaf tips are spined but bend to the touch (they aren't dangerously sharp).
- Less stiff and metallic looking than most yuccas.
- Loose, open, 3- to 5 feet-tall clusters of large white flowers in late spring or early summer.
- Easy to grow in all garden conditions; give moderate water.
- Banana Split has golden yellow leaves edged in gray-green.
blue beard yucca
yucca rostrata
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to Mexico, extreme southwestern Texas.
- To 12 feet tall, 9 feet wide.
- The most notable feature is the trunk: up to 8 inches thick, covered with soft gray fuzz (fibers remaining from old leaf bases).
- Needle-pointed blue- green leaves to 2 feet long, 12 inches wide.
- Blooms in autumn, bearing 2 feet clusters of white flowers on a 2 feet stalk.
- Little to moderate water.
- Sapphire Skies has narrow, flexible, powder-blue leaves; just 4 feet tall after 10 years.
twisted-leaf yucca
yucca rupicola
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Clump-forming Texas native to 3 feet high and wide.
- Sharp-pointed, green leaves reach 2 feet long; they are straight when young, then twist with age.
- In spring, stalks to 38 feet tall bear bell-shaped, creamy white flowers with a yellow-green tinge.
- Little to moderate water.
yucca smalliana(Yucca filamentosa smalliana)
- ADAM'S NEEDLE, BEAR'S GRASS.
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to southeastern and south-central U.S. Like Yucca filamentosa but has narrower, flatter leaves and smaller flowers.
- Moderate water.
thompson's yucca
yucca thompsoniana
- Zones US, MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 6-11.
- Native to Texas.
- Tree to 610 feet tall, 5 feet wide.
- Trunk (sometimes branched) is topped with an asymmetrical rosette of narrow, foot-long blue-green leaves; old brown leaves hang from its sides.
- Blooms in late spring, when white to cream flowers with green-tinged petal bases appear on a 4- to 5 feet spike.
- Moderate water.
torrey yucca
yucca torreyi
- Zones LS, CS, TS; USDA 8-11.
- Native from New Mexico and Texas into Mexico.
- Eventually forms a tree to 15 feet tall, 9 feet wide.
- Begins as a rosette of rigid, sharp-tipped, blue-green leaves on short trunks that slowly elongate.
- White flowers are borne in late spring on a 4 feet spike.
- Needs very little water but tolerates wetter conditions.
giant spanish dagger
yucca treculeana
- Zones MS, LS, CS, TS; USDA 7-11.
- Native to Texas and Mexico.
- Single-trunked or branching tree to 25 feet tall, 12 feet wide, topped with symmetrical rosettes of sharp-pointed, thick, stiff, dark green to blue-green leaves to 2124 feet long.
- White or purple-tinged white flowers bloom on a 3 feet spike in late winter or early spring.
- Little to moderate water.