Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Yucca Love

You know that quiet person in the office who gets an incredible amount of work done but never walks around blowing their own horn? They just keep their head down and work? Well in the danger garden those workers are the yuccas. When it comes to an easy care, architectural, evergreen (and spiky!) plant there is nothing better. Agaves and flax require babying during cold temperatures, the yuccas couldn’t care less. Snow piles on the flax leaves and they break, the yucca leaves just laugh it off.
Now before you go thinking “yucca, how boring” there are so many different ones to choose from! Without even realizing it I’ve managed to collect eight distinctly different yuccas. They are as different as Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' And Sammy, my Yucca Rostrata…Care to join me on a tour of the danger garden yucca collection?

First up are what I think of as the Spokane Yuccas. These came from my mother’s garden and the yard of my brother’s old house, both in Spokane. These are the plain old garden variety yuccas, but they reliably bloom every summer!
All the green plants in our parking strip are Spokane Yuccas, they’re joined by a few Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard’
Are you thinking our parking strip is a little boring? That’s on purpose. There’s a park at the end of our street and during certain times of the year the traffic is nonstop, cars park and little soccer stars spill out with all their gear. The yuccas stand up to trampling and even bite back a bit.

The colors of ‘Color Guard’ are so vivid!
As are the purples of the Yucca a. purpurea, one of my new favorites.
This Yucca aloifolia ‘Spanish Bayonet’ (below) has such striking variegation. Please ignore the leaves that I should have plucked out of the center of the plant before taking the picture.Interestingly the tag on this one also claims it’s a Yucca aloifolia ‘Spanish Bayonet’. I think one of these plants is not who it’s claiming to be! Their coloring and overall form is so different.
On the right under Sammy is a little Yucca linearifolia 'Dusky Blue,’ this picture was taken last spring when it was first planted, right now you can hardly see it due to the grass planted in front growing up and hiding it. I will be moving it to a better location this spring.
In addition to Sammy there’s another Yucca Rostra in the danger garden, but this one is much smaller. That’s it on the right; on the left is Agave striata.
Below is my only Yucca recurvifolia or Soft Leaf Yucca. I need a couple more of this one.And the variegated form, although it’s not looking very variegated at the moment.
The same is true for this one. This is one of my oldest yuccas. When I bought it something like 8 years ago it was striped with yellow. The tag is long gone so I can’t know exactly what it was, and as it has multiplied the new plants are tending toward solid green. I suppose I should have been more diligent about removing the green lest it take over?
Here’s a close up. You can see a little variegation is still present.
And because it’s my blog I’m going to include the Hesperaloes in my Yucca love, after all they are sometimes referred to as False Yucca, or Red Yucca. This is a two year old (to me) Hesperaloe parviflora in the ground…it was flowering when I planted it but not since.And one in a pot, this plant has been with me about 4 years and has at least doubled in size, if not tripled. It bloomed for the second time last summer and the blooms lasted for months!I collected a few seeds which I hope to start this spring. I also let a couple of the pods fall to the ground and break open. I am curious to see if they were carried away by insects and if I’ll have any volunteers sprouting up when the weather warms. This Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow' (below, please try to pardon all the leaf clutter in these pictures, this one especially, I hope to get outside and clean up someday soon!) was purchased last spring from High Country Gardens. I’ve only seen the red variety bloom; hopefully someday I’ll see the yellow flowers.So there you have it, the danger garden yucca collection. I’ve vowed to add to it this year. I desperately need more hardworking, no complaining type plants.

22 comments:

  1. I loved seeing all your yuccas. It's true that they tend to be overlooked by their flashier cousins, the agaves, but they are generally much more cold hardy. Here in Austin there are some super sharp varieties that attain a monstrous size, threatening the eyes of passersby and spreading out into huge clumps, which has given them an unpleasant reputation among some people. But you show that there are many smaller and variegated varieties available, and I know I need to try more of those myself.

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  2. It's fantastic to see the great variety of yuccas you grow in containers... I've been so impressed with how tough they are in pots - tolerant of drought, heat and wind and always seeming to look fresh and yummy. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  3. Hi Loree~~ You want to know what I did? I took out my cell phone, touched on the "notebook" app. and typed in Yucca rostrata. There is something magical about its form, almost like it's alive with movement. [My entire wish list (from last year mostly) is on my phone now which I'm hoping will mean I'm less prone to lose it or leave it at home when I'm at the nursery.] I'm hoping my Hesperaloe {Red] blooms this summer. I'm glad to see yours is in a pot because I wasn't sure if container culture was acceptable. I love your hell-strip idea and you're right, while those godforsaken phormiums look like something from Death Valley the yuccas just shine. What I don't like about yuccas is when gardeners don't cut off all the old foliage. Yours are obviously well cared for.

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  4. I would love to mix the red and yellow Hesperaloe in a mass planting.

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  5. You've got a lot of Yucca! Interesting alternative to flax. How does it like part sun?

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  6. Fabulous. Yucca's are very popular around here... and I must admit that I find them a bit boring becoz I see them in every street. But you have a lot - the ones with colours (other than just green) are great. Thanks for sharing :)

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  7. I love how tough the yuccas have been. I'm assuming since some of yours have been relocated, you've had success dividing and transplanting them? How risky would it be to try to remove some of the distinct plants from one of mine that has developed multiple central stems and relocate them? They're part of my plan for the neighbor's front yard, and it would be nice if I could use divisions rather than buying all new plants for their place.

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  8. I've been known to complain that yucca are yucky, but your pictures are showing their beauty. And how nice that they work like guard dogs to keep the hordes out of your front yard!

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  9. Pam, I was a little amazed when I realized how many different kinds I had. And of course that made me what to have even more!

    Kate, glad I could inspire!

    Grace, the rostrata are magical! The thin green line along the edge of the blue leaf just makes them glow. If you find a source for largish ones (not as big as Sammy!) you must share it! I have another Hesperaloe in a small container that I didn't show. It's happy too. They are just all around great plants!

    Les, oh great. Thank you. Now I am going to be obsessed with this idea!

    faroutflora, I have a few of the Yucca aloifolia ‘Spanish Bayonet’in a pretty shady area and they look great. Another of the Spokane yucca ended up in a completely shady area by mistake. I keep meaning to move it, although it's doing fabulous where it is.

    Evelyn, familiarity breeds contempt for sure!

    Megan, easy to do! And funny thing, I thought I dug up all of the yuccas at my brothers house (he and his wife hated them) but the next spring they came back. Seems even the smallest piece of tuber (?) or rhizome (?) left behind will start a new plant. The only warning I have is that they'll look a little sad for a month or so. Just deflated. Early spring is probably the best time to do it so they can get established before the heat hits.

    VW, thank you! Do you dislike the flowers too? I think my attachment to them comes from the fact they are one of the only desert looking plants that grows in Spokane!

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  10. I am definitely ready to embrace yuccas....ouch!?!

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  11. Yuccas-- I have recently cleaned up a large, robust yucca rigida in the corner of my front yard. Planted, likely, in the 1960s when the house was built, it now sports six stalks, with three more growing from the base. It's about eight feet tall, and produces creamy flower stalks during the midsummer heat in Tucson, AZ. When you mention they don't "do" anything, it may be that gardeners expect a certain movement within their spaces. The strong, scultural accent the yuccas (and agaves) provide make gardening in the desert a decidely artistic experience. Thanks for your chatty, informative, yuccaphile site.

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  12. AnonymousMay 28, 2013

    Came across your site by chance and enjoyed it. I am in the fertle region of south-west France called the department of Lot-et-Garonne. I began by Yucca collection by acquiring the common garden type from the wood beside my house. Since then I have added several varieties. It does seem some of the locals are "hostle" towards these lovely looking plants, but once they see them in situ they admire them. I have a questions. One of them has developed brown type spots. The center is growing normally. Any treatment or cure known ?
    Another minor problem is the leaf growth of some of my yuccas is mauve colour or bordeaux whilst the center growth is regular green. Any reason known? Thanks (eurotropica@neuf.fr)

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    1. Many of my yucca get the same brown spots over a wet cool winter. The only treatment I know of is to cut off the ugly leaves and let the new fresh growth shine. Luckily they all seem to move on quite rapidly and not mind loosing their older leaves. As for your issue with darker growth I've never heard of such a thing. Mine do occasionally take on a purple hue when the weather is really cool, might that be what's happening? Once it warms up they gradually return to their former color.

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  13. We have what we think is a soft leaf yucca. It has gotten very large since we have lived here, (about 9 yrs) and I would like to divide it. can it be divided just like, say, day lillies or iris? It is about 2 ft tall, and 4 ft wide, and it is in the middle of our unlandscaped back yard. I would like to plant part of it in the front yard, so all can enjoy. Any suggestions? We live in NE Oklahoma.

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    1. Oh yes, they are very easy to divide. Cutting through the roots will be a bit of a chore but if you've got a small pruning saw or an old knife you can do it. Just be warned that #1 the divisions my sulk (wilt) for a but, but they'll be fine and #2 where ever you move parts of this plant to you'll always have it there. Once it settles in it's hard to get rid off!

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  14. Hi my variegated yucca has turned purple and stayed like that all summer and produced no new growth. The winter was fairly mild (no snow - England). It is in a large pot in the sun. Should I give up on it or is there still hope?

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  15. Hi I am in Christchurch New Zealand and have a Spanish needle yucca which is around 7 years old and is flowering in a pot for the first time and the huge stem of the flower is already 3ft high approx and not even near flowering yet!! We have a very cold winter and I am so surprised that when it flowers, I am having a party on the lawn in front of it.!!!

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  16. sorry, meant to say its a spanish bayonet filamentosa not a spanish needle!! Everyone will come here to view it when it flowers !! I will never take it out of the pot as I don't want the roots taking over in the garden but how long it will last in there is anyones guess!!! If you want a photo now and when it flowers, give me your email address Mine is trishparis@gmail.com

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  17. I am now concerned that I planted my yuccas too close to a large cast iron pipe (not sure if its sewer or not or even currently used by my home). Are the yucca roots evasive? Should I move them? just planted them last spring in zone 5

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    1. In my experience they are very thick and fleshy near the plant, but not far out. How far away did you plant them? As long as they're not sitting on the pipe I bet they'll be okay.

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  18. Heather {Australia]May 20, 2016

    Hi. I am new to Yuccas and similar plants. Your garden is obviously a treasure trove. One day I hope to be able to photograph my 'danger' garden and post them too. I have a way to go, Thank you for sharing and whetting my appetite.

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    1. Thanks for commenting Heather, have fun!

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