The Ivory Tower Yucca is a perennial evergreen shrub with a very short trunk hidden at or below ground level, topped with a bold rosette of many slender, spikey leaves radiating out in all directions. Younger leaves are stiff and upright, while older ones tend to bend over and become more ‘relaxed’. The leaves are neatly arranged in a circle when the shoots are young, but they become more random as they mature. A plant develops into a cluster of rosettes, with the leaves growing 3 or even 4 feet long, forming a dense clump of foliage. The leaves are leathery, slightly glossy, and dark blue-green in color. Along the edges of the leaves are thin, curling threads, and the tip of each leaf is a sharp point. This plant has a thick, woody root and very short stems that support the slowly spreading clump of leaf rosettes.

In late summer older clumps of the Ivory Tower Yucca will flower. This is when the plant lives up to its name, sending towering spikes of flowers up to 6 feet into the air. A clump may have several spikes at the same time, and each one is long and slender, but sturdy, and it normally needs no staking or support. In the upper one-third of the stem there are many large flowers, which hang outwards like a beautiful cluster of bells. The flowers are large, about 2 ½ inches long and an inch across, with 5 pointed petals forming an upside-down bowl. They are creamy white, sometimes flecked with soft chartreuse green, and they give out a beautiful rich, tropical perfume you will love. It is hard to believe that this clump of leaves can make such a beautiful floral display.

The Ivory Tower Yucca is incredibly hardy. It is cold-resistant down to minus 30 degrees, yet also hardy in the hottest and driest parts of zone 9. It will grow in any kind of soil, both acid and alkaline, and in hard clay or dry, rocky sand. It also grows in ordinary garden soils, and anywhere except wet places. Grow it among rocks and boulders in exposed sunny places. Use it at a beach cottage, planted in pure sand and exposed to the ocean. Plant it in those dry spots beneath roof overhangs. Use it in the foreground of shrub beds, or in planters and pots, where if you forget to water it won’t mind at all. Once established it will take extreme dryness, as well as salt-spray, and it should be grown in full sun, although it will tolerate some partial shade too. No part of your garden is too hot and dry for this plant, and it needs no care, other than removing old flower spikes at ground level. In colder zones, the foliage may brown during the winter, but in spring simply trim it off and new leaves will quickly replace them. It has no pests or diseases, and deer leave it alone too, so it is perfect for natural and semi-wild areas.

The Ivory Tower Yucca is a selected, more vigorous and larger form of Adam’s Needle, Yucca filamentosa. This plant is native to America, growing all the way from South Carolina to Florida and into Mississippi. It grows in coastal areas, on sand dunes and beaches, as well as in rough open ground. There are a number of different varieties, often with white or yellow on the leaves, and we don’t know where the form called ‘Ivory Tower’ came from. We do know how popular these plants are, and how quickly they sell out. So set yourself up for some easy gardening, and order the Ivory Tower Yucca now.

Yucca plants are known for their amazing ability to survive and thrive in dry conditions that will kill most other plants. Right out in the driest desert areas of America you will find these plants growing. Those plants have leaves of a bluish-green color, but in gardens other, much more colorful, forms are possible. These make powerful features in your garden, without the need for constant care and watering. For the busy gardener, or for the garden in the sun, with dry, sandy or rocky soil, the Golden Sword Yucca is going to be top of your plant list, even in zone 5.

Growing Golden Sword Yucca Plants

The Golden Sword Yucca forms a dense clump of narrow, upright leaves, growing 3 to 4 feet tall, and as much across. The younger leaves, in the center of the clumps, stand strongly upright, and as they age they gradually become more horizontal and then hang slightly, so the clump has a full, rounded appearance. The leaves last for several years, and along their edges you will see fine, white curling threads growing, characteristic of this particular yucca species. The tip of the leaf has a sharp spine, and the leaves are leathery and tough, not fleshy. What makes this plant so striking is the color patterning of the leaves. Right down the center of every leave is a broad, bold stripe of brilliant yellow, while the edges of the leaves are striped in green. Some leaves are almost completely yellow, while others may have more green on them. The overall effect is vibrant and striking – and this is color that is in your garden 365 days of the year, not just for a couple of weeks of flowering.

Perhaps surprisingly, this plant also flowers, and beautiful flowers they are. Older plants will send up a tall, thick spike, about 6 feet tall, or even more. On the top masses of large and beautiful creamy-white flowers will develop. These are shaped like bells, and they hang close to the stem on short stalks. Not only beautiful, they give off a rich perfume too, and they add a whole new level of beauty to this plant in late summer. Older clumps will often produce several flower spikes, making a spectacular display.

Uses on Your Property

Use the Golden Sword Yucca in your garden as a specimen plant – perhaps at the foot of a wall, or in a sunny place around your house. If you have drier, sunny areas beneath overhanging eaves, this plant will thrive there. Plant it with other sun-loving plants, such as Junipers for example, in a bed among boulders and cover the ground with a layer of gravel mulch. This simple but effective feature will turn boring and dull parts of your garden into very attractive elements of your design. If you have large planter boxes or pots, the Golden Sword Yucca will bring year-round color to them and brighten your terrace or patio. Be sure the pot has a good drainage hole and use a compost for cactus or succulent plants. Water well, and then leave until the soil is completely dry, and then water again. If you forget to water, or go on holiday, don’t worry, your plant will be great when you come back.

Planting and Initial Care

Plant the Golden Sword Yucca is full sun, in any well-drained soil. It will thrive in the hottest spots, in poor, sandy soil, or among gravel and rocks. Just break up the ground in the spot where you are planting, to give it a chance to become established, and give some regular water during the first growing season, and that is it – no more needs to be done. The secret to the toughness of the Golden Sword Yucca is the thick underground root, that goes deep in search of water and holds all the water it finds inside itself. This keeps the plant alive month after month, and – once well-established and mature – even for years of drought. This plant very rarely has any pests or diseases, and deer leave it alone too. It also tolerates salt spray, and with its drought resistance, this combination makes it ideal for planting at a beach cottage, or near the shore. Just avoid planting in shade, or in any soil that is often wet.

History and Origins of the Golden Sword Yucca

There are about 40 species of Yucca growing in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. All across the southeast, and into Texas, a species called Yucca filamentosa is common. It is often called Adam’s needle or Spanish bayonet. This species is easily distinguished by the fine threads on the sides of the leaves, and we see these clearly in the variety called ‘Golden Sword’. We don’t know where this variety came from, but it has been grown for many years, and its variegated leaves have decorated dry gardens for just as long. This is the largest of the different varieties, being as much as a foot taller than others. It is always in great demand, and the beautiful plants we have sourced will rapidly be gone. Order now, put away the watering can, and enjoy the striking leaves and dramatic flowering of the Golden Sword Yucca.

Growing Bright Edge Yucca Plants

The Bright Edge Yucca is an upright, leafy plant growing into a bold clump of many narrow leaves 2 to 3 feet tall and across. Each green leaf is boldly edged with a broad band of golden yellow, which can sometimes occupy most of the leaf, and other times be split into additional golden bands. Each leaf is slightly different, but most have a central green stripe flanked on both side by a wide golden stripe. The effect is colorful, and since this plant looks good all year round, this strong color statement is there for good – not passing quickly like flowering plants. The center leaves of the clump are strongly upright, while the outer ones turn more outwards, and lower ones may turn towards the ground. The overall effect is striking but casual, and it fits perfectly with all the other plants in your garden.

Older plants of the Bright Edge Yucca will send up a tall flower spike in late summer. This reaches to 5 feet tall, and it is topped with many large flowers, hanging like bells. These creamy-white flowers are large and beautiful, with a rich perfume. If you do not remove the flower spike once flowering has finished, large rounded seed pods will develop, and create interest in the fall.

Hardiness

This is the hardiest of all the Yucca plants, growing even in zone 4, although there some winter protection is needed for the foliage. Even if the leaves are browned by winter cold, new leaves rapidly appear in spring, and by early summer your plant is looking great again. It is also resistant to salt-spray and grows even in pure sand. It makes the perfect plant for a beach cottage, or for any garden in coastal areas, where it is completely resistant, and it thrives in the heat and dryness typically found in these gardens.

Uses on Your Property

Use the Bright Edge Yucca in any sunny and dry part of your garden, as a specimen plant, or mixed in a bed with other low-watering plants. These ‘xeric’ gardens are increasingly popular in areas where summer water shortages are common, or where you are concerned with reducing water consumption. Mixed with plants like junipers, sedums, grasses and other plants from dry areas, and planted among boulders and gravel, you can create attractive and colorful beds that are also extremely low-maintenance. In planter boxes and pots, this plant is always attractive, and it has the great advantage that it will thrive in a container even if you only water infrequently.

Planting and Initial Care

The Bright Edge Yucca will grow from zone 4 into all the warmer zones, and it thrives in sunny parts of your garden. Do not plant in shade or moist soil. it will grow in almost any soil, doing well even in poor, sandy, stony or gravel soils. For planting in containers, make sure there is a drainage hole, and use a potting soil designed for succulent plants and cacti. Otherwise add 25% sand to regular potting soil. Water thoroughly, and then let the soil dry completely before watering again. Once established, garden plants are very drought resistant, and almost never need supplementary watering. This plant is usually free of pests or diseases, and deer leave it alone.

History and Origins of the Bright Edge Yucca

Yucca plants grow throughout warmer parts of North America, and in the Caribbean. The Spanish bayonet, or Adam’s needle, grows throughout the southeast and west into Texas. Called Yucca filamentosa, it can easily be identified by the many fine white threads that curve from the edges of the leaves. The origin of the variety called ‘Bright Edge’ has been lost, but striped variations are seen from time to time in these plants. Should any new plants be produced from the base that have plain green leaves, remove them completely below ground, to preserve the beauty of this wonderful variety.

There is enormous interest from our clients in plants for hot places, and xeric gardening in general. We will miss them, but we know these plants will soon be gone from our stock. Order now and bring color to your garden with no effort at all.

When it comes to choosing plants for these needs, it makes sense to go with plants that naturally live in arid areas, and if growing native American plants is also on your wish-list, then the Blue Sentry Yucca fits the bill perfectly. This plant grows naturally in the driest parts of the country, so once established it will survive for months in completely dry soil. Plus, it brings striking color to those dry areas, with attractive narrow leaves of blue-gray.

Growing Blue Sentry Yucca Plants

The Blue Sentry Yucca forms a cluster of narrow, upright leaves, forming a globe shape, with the lowest leaves horizontal and the highest ones vertical. Over time more groups of leaves will develop from the base, until you have a broad cluster of foliage up to 3 feet tall and across. Each leave is smooth, narrow, and leathery rather than thick and fleshy. The leaves stand erect at various angles, radiating out from the center.

Along the edges of the leaves there may be a few fine threads, and the tip of each leaf has a hard, sharp point. Older plants may flower, and the flowers are striking and beautiful. The plant will send up a tall stalk, several feet high, with a large cluster of creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers on the end. These hang from sprays of short stems, and they give out a beautiful fragrance. The flowers may be followed by seed pods, which are a little like a large bean pod, but rounded, with six sides.

Uses on Your Property

Use this beautiful and tough plant anywhere you need something that doesn’t need watering, even during the hottest weather, and even during prolonged periods of drought. It looks very effective planted among boulders and gravel, and a collection of these drought-resistant plants in a dry bed makes a striking and attractive garden feature. It’s the perfect way to deal with those difficult hot and sunny spots.

The Blue Sentry Yucca also makes a great plant for pots and containers. Make sure the pot has drainage holes, and use a compost recommended for succulent plants and cactus. These pots are a great low-maintenance way to decorate a terrace or patio, with easy-care plants for relaxed gardening. It also grows well in coastal areas, such as in the sandy soil of a beach cottage, and resists salt-spray too.

Planting and Initial Care

The Blue Sentry Yucca is very easy to grow. It is hardy from zone 5 all the way into the hottest zones, so wherever there is dry soil, this is the plant for it. It should be grown in full sun, in any well-drained soil, and it thrives in drier, sandy or gravel soils, or among rocks and boulders. During the first summer, water once every week or two, but after that no additional watering will be required. Since growth stops when the soil is very dry, an occasional water in summer will keep your plant growing a little faster.

When growing in containers, allow the soil in the pot to become completely dry before watering again. Too much water, rather than too little, is the enemy of the Blue Sentry Yucca. It normally has no pests or diseases, and those spines make it very unattractive to deer.

History and Origins of the Blue Sentry Yucca

There are about 40 different species of Yucca, all growing in the southern and western USA or in the Caribbean. Some are distinctive, but others are very similar, and there is some confusion over exactly which species this plant belongs in. We have placed it as a selection of Yucca flaccida, a plant that grows naturally from Florida all around the Gulf of Mexico. There are many selections of this plant, but ‘Blue Sentry’ is by far the best for its strong and attractive blue leaves.

Yucca flaccida is noted for the way the lower leaves bend over, but this is not so noticeable in ‘Blue Sentry’. This plant could also be a selection of Yucca rigida, which has very upright and stiff leaves, but that also develops in time a short trunk. Wherever it belongs, this is a very handsome and effective plant, and a great addition to any sunny and dry spot in your garden.

There is huge interest at the moment in growing garden plants that do not need additional watering. The Blue Sentry Yucca certainly is that, and a very handsome and colorful plant it is too. We only have a limited stock on hand, which will soon be sold out, so order now while we still have this tough low-maintenance plant available – we won’t have it for long.

Top of any list for xeric gardens is the Red Yucca, a clump-forming perennial plant that thrives in sun and dry soil. Most plants that love heat and drought only grow in warmer zones, but the Red Yucca is unusual, because it thrives even in zone 5, where winter temperatures can drop at night to minus 20. In cooler zones like that it is important to grow this plant in the sunniest and driest place possible. Because it is so hardy, this is a great plant to give an exotic look in a garden in cooler zones.

Growing Red Yucca Plants

The Red Yucca, also called coral yucca, hummingbird yucca, red-flower false yucca, and samandoque, forms a large clump of leaves that are 2 to 3 feet long, but only about an inch wide. They have no thorns, unlike true yucca, but they have thread-like thick hairs curling off the leaf edges. The clump of leaves can grow to 6 feet wide in time, making an imposing garden plant.

The leaves are blue-green and evergreen. In colder areas they often turn purplish to reddish-bronze in winter, making an attractive feature during the winter months. In summer and fall tall flower spikes rise above the foliage, reaching 4 to 6 feet in height. These branch, and all along the upper parts of the branches, clusters of red flowers form. These open with a pinker interior, making a very colorful show for months and months. The warmer your area, the longer the flowering season will be, but even in zone 5 they flower all of July and August, and sometimes in the fall as well. Hummingbirds love the flowers, and this plant is a fantastic way to attract these beautiful creatures into your garden.

Uses in Your Garden

Use the Red Yucca as a specimen plant in a bed beside rocks and in gravel. Mass plant it with grasses and other xeric plants for a bold summer show. Use it architecturally against a plain, painted wall. It also makes a wonderful plant in a large container, perhaps a south-western style clay pot, or a large modern planter. Use it in gravel-covered beds and on slopes or in dry stream beds, with other drought-loving plants.

Planting and Initial Care

When choosing a location for your Red Yucca, make sure to plant them in a hot, sunny spot. Once established it needs no additional watering, and it thrives in poor, well-drained soil. Wetness is never good for this plant. It needs no special care, although spent flower stems should be cut out at the base for neatness. The foliage is not eaten by deer, but flower-spikes may be. It has no significant pests or diseases and is very easy to grow in even the poorest soil, and in polluted urban areas.

Creating a Xeric Garden with Red Yucca

Xeric plants are very fashionable right now so be the first in your area to grow this amazing native plant. To create a xeric garden, choose the hottest part of your garden; preferably on a slope, so that water will not sit in the soil. Dig over the area, but do not add any organic material. Place some attractive large boulders in strategic places, according to your taste. Make it look as natural as possible.

If the soil is heavy, mix in plenty of coarse sand, and then plant, spacing plants well apart to give an open, desert-like look. Cover the ground with a layer of sand, followed by a layer of gravel and stones of mixed sizes. That’s it. Water young plants every couple of weeks for the first season, and after that, just tidy by removing any dead foliage or flower stems. Nothing could be easier, or easier on the environment.

Adding Red Yucca Plants to Your Garden

No wonder the Red Yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora, is so tough – it comes from one of the harshest places in the country, the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas. It also grows in central and southern Texas, and into northeastern Mexico. Coming from such dry places, we can be sure it will grow in any xeric conditions. This is a very unusual and highly sought-after plant, and we are pleased to have found some excellent young specimens. We do not expect these plants to be in our inventory for long so order now while stocks last! You may also want to consider another popular variety, the Color Guard Yucca.

What could this remarkable plant be – it is the Color Guard Yucca. It forms a mound of broad, upright leaves that have a striking yellow stripe down the center. In fall and winter the leaves may become brushed with pink tones. It produces new clumps of leaves from below ground, expanding into a cluster up to 4 feet across, but it will not spread uncontrollably. The leaves are up to 3 feet long, and in late spring or early summer established plants will send up a thick, tall stem from the center of the leaves, often reaching 6 feet tall. The upper half of this stem develops large, creamy-white bell-shaped flowers that hang just like bells in clusters from the stem. They are sweetly perfumed with the most delicious fragrance too. A plant in flower, with several spikes in bloom, is a beautiful, striking feature in any location.

Growing Color Guard Yucca

The Color Guard Yucca is like nothing else in the garden, and you might think it was exotic and hard to grow. The truth is the very opposite. This plant is hardy down to minus 30 degrees, growing well throughout zone 4. Yet it is also happy in the heat of Florida, Texas or California, so it can be grown across all but the furthest north of the country. Wherever you live, you can grow this plant. It thrives in poor, dry soil, and is happy anywhere except in wet soils. Unlike most other drought-resistant plants, it will even tolerate partial shade, but it will thrive best in the sunniest, hottest spot in your garden.

Uses in Your Garden

This unique plant is ideal for dry beds mulched with stones or gravel. It also fits well into the foreground of shrub and flower beds, giving an interesting contrast in form. The towering flower stems are a spectacular addition to any garden. It is an obvious choice for a xeric – no watering – garden design, especially in areas subject to watering bans. It also makes a great plant for pots or planters, and if you forget to water it for weeks, it will not mind at all. Make sure the pot has drainage holes, and use a compost designed for cactus and succulent plants.

Planting and Initial Care

When planting your Color Guard Yucca, choose a sunny or partially shaded location. Dig the soil well, but nothing needs to be added. A stone or gravel mulch around the plants is an effective way to control weeds. When young, water from time to time, but once established no watering is needed, even during extreme drought conditions. This plant has no pests or diseases of any note, and it is not eaten by rabbits or deer.

If ever there was a plant that thrived on being left alone, the Color Guard Yucca is it. In zone 4 some of the foliage may be damaged by cold in winter, but the plant will not be. Simply trim any damaged leaves and new growth will quickly develop, so your plant becomes as beautiful as ever. After flowering, cut the stems off right at the ground to encourage new replacement clumps.

History and Origins of the Color Guard Yucca

The Color Guard Yucca is a variety of yucca (Yucca filamenosa), an ornamental grass that grows wild on sand dunes, beaches and dry fields from southern Virginia to Mississippi and Florida. This plant is also called Spanish Bayonet, or Adam’s Needle, referring to the sharp tip at the end of each leaf. There are a number of other yucca plants, but this one is easily recognized by the thin, thread-like pieces that curl from the edges of the leaves. These filaments also give this plant its scientific name.

Yucca plants are very unusual in that they are pollinated by just one species of moth. The flower is especially adapted so that only this moth can enter it, and the flower emits its strongest fragrance at night to attract the female moth. She lays a few eggs in each flower she visits, and they live on the developing seeds, still leaving enough for the plants to reproduce. The exact origin of this variegated form of the wild plant has been lost, but it has been a garden favorite for a number of years. This form cannot be reproduced by seed, so cheaper seedling plants will just be plain green and much less attractive.

Buying Color Guard Yucca at The Tree Center

At the Tree Center we like to offer the unusual, and plants that are suitable for low-maintenance ‘dry’ gardening are especially useful. Because this plant is native to America, it also fits well into natural gardens; especially in those hot, dry, sunny spots. We have a good supply of plants, but our stocks may not last long so order soon! You may also want to consider another popular native variety, the Texas Red Yucca, to add more color interest in your garden.