The drought-tolerant yucca plant is a striking, Southwest-inspired addition to any full-sun garden.
Yucca plant is a tough perennial known for its long, spiky foliage and desert aesthetic.
This plant works well in adry gardenas an architectural accent and makes a prized container plant.
Credit: Lee Anne White
The foliage of the yucca plant is the main draw for growing this perennial.
Its leaves come in many colors but are most often a silvery green.
you could also find variegated varieties with gold, green, cream, blue, and even pink coloring.
Credit: Lee Anne White
The texture of the foliage can vary from thin, almost grass-like fronds to thick, wide leaves.
Some yuccas have thread-like filaments that curl off the foliage’s edge.
Where to Plant Yucca
Select a location infull or partial sunfor your yucca plant.
Credit: Bob Stefko
The most important requirement is that the soil drains well.
If it doesn’t, the plant will die.
How and When to Plant Yucca
Plant yucca in early spring in a full-sun location.
Credit: Denny Schrock
As long as the soil is well-draining, no amendments are needed.
Dig a hole three times the width and equal depth of the plant’s nursery container.
Rinse the potting soil off the roots.
Credit: Denny Schrock
If you see any circling roots, cut them off before positioning the yucca in the hole.
Yucca isdrought-tolerant, but for the first year after planting, water it regularly.
This provides the most prolific flowers across all species and the most intense foliage colorations in variegated varieties.
Credit: Scott Little
Part sun also increases the likelihood of root rot, as the soil is less likely to dry out.
Soil and Water
Yucca plant requireswell-drained soil, or it will quickly rot and die.
Native to southwestern regions, yucca naturally grows in sandy soil.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Regardless of soil punch in, it must remain dry.
Yucca plant also survives below freezing temperatures, with desert nights cooling to the 30F range.
The perennial also withstands temperatures as low as 10F in northern states.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
Some varieties are even known to tolerate subzero weather.
Yucca plant grows best in low to moderate humidity.
Because of its desert plant nature, yucca should never be misted.
Fertilizer
Yucca plant is a slow grower that lives in a relatively stark environment.
Still, it benefits from fertilization a few times throughout the year.
Use alow-nitrogen fertilizer(either granular or liquid) following product label instructions.
Take the yucca plant out of its nursery pot and loosen its roots with your fingers.
Position it in the new container at the same depth it was previously buried.
Fill the rest of the space with the potting mix and water the plant.
Water sparingly in winter, reducing watering in late summer and halting entirely by early fall.
Remove the covering and mulch once the danger of frost has passed the following spring.
Pests and Problems
Agave plant bugs pierce yucca leaves and suck out the juices.
These half-inch-long pests are easy to see and identify.
Several applications of insecticidal soap will rid them from your yucca plant.
The desert perennial is also vulnerable to the usual culprits:aphids, mealybugs, and scale.
These pests are treated with sprays of water orneem oil.
How to Propagate Yucca
Propagate yucca by cutting off a section of a mature plant.
Keep the propagation warm and water it occasionally.
Rooting will start in 3 to 4 weeks.
The best way to propagate an outdoor yucca plant is through division during fall.
Lift a small but mature yucca out of the ground using a shovel.
Replant the parent and plant the divisions in areas that receive full sun.
The leaves are broadly banded in a creamy yellow and edged with curly threads.
The yucca plant imposes 8-to-10-foot-tall spires of white flowers that appear in mid to late summer.
It is hardy in Zones 4-11.
It is hardy in Zones 4-10.
Spineless Yucca
Yucca elephantipesis a variety oftengrown as a houseplant.
This bang out of yucca plant lacks needle-like spines and can reach staggering heights of up to 30 feet.
It is hardy in Zones 9-10.
It is hardy in Zones 7-9.
Some varieties of coreopsis also bear golden-yellow, pale yellow, pink, or bicolor flowers.
It will bloom from early to midsummer or longer if it’s deadheaded.
Hens and Chicks
A favorite of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers,hens and chicksare popular once again.
The neat rosettes multiply freely by runners that form dense colonies.
Flowering rosettes die after bloom time but are quickly replaced.
Hens and chicks are excellent between pavers on patios and walkways.
Frequently Asked Questions
When grown indoors as a houseplant, yucca lives for about five years.
Outdoors, the plant thrives for as long as 50 years.
The spines aren’t poisonous, but the wound will swell and be uncomfortable for a week or so.
It’s unwise to place yucca in an area frequented by children and pets.
Not all yuccas have sharp tips on their leaves.
Spineless yucca plants (Yucca elephantipes)are particularly popular as houseplants for this reason.
