Planting And Growing Yucca: These Architectural Plants Work Well In Xeriscaping Schemes
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By PETER LICKORISH
Peter is a Horticulture Lecturer and self-employed Horticulturist, with a passion for diverse areas of the industry - from garden design to the science behind plant growth and propagation. He has completed the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture (MHort) Award and lectures on RHS courses at Bedford College.
IN THIS GUIDE
Yuccas are interesting, architectural plants which are grown as houseplants or outdoors in UK gardens.
There are a number of different yucca types that can be interesting plant choices for UK gardeners.
Tender yuccas can be grown as houseplants, in greenhouses or conservatories – while there are also hardier yuccas which can be grown outdoors in summer; some even year-round outdoors in the right locations.
Overview
| Botanical Name | Yucca (various sub-species) |
| Common Name(s) | Adam’s Needle and Thread, Spanish Dagger |
| Plant Type | Shrub / Tree / Perennial / Houseplant |
| Native Area | Americas & Caribbean |
| Hardiness Rating | Varies – some tender, some hardy |
| Foliage | Evergreen, spiky leaves |
| Flowers | Some have cream-white flowers |
| When To Plant (Outdoors) | April, May, June |
| Flowering Months | July, August |
Sunlight
Preferred
Full Sun
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Size
Height
Varies
Spread
Varies
Bloom Time
Summer
Soil
Preferred
Chalk, loam, sand
Moisture
Free draining
pH
Any
There are around 40-50 species within this genus, which are notable for their tough, evergreen, sword-like foliage and tall flower panicles of bell-shaped blooms.
Yuccas are incredibly adaptable as a genus, and species have evolved to cope with a wide range of climates and ecological conditions.
Why Grow Yucca?
Yucca is a popular plant for ornamental use in gardens (or as houseplants) because it has such a strong architectural form.
Hardier types can add a dramatic accent to a suitable garden, while houseplants can be a great addition to interior décor.
When in flower, yucca can be attractive to pollinators in a garden.
And in warmer, milder regions, some varieties form fruits which are popular with garden birds.
Where To Grow Yucca
Hardier yucca (including Yucca gloriosa) are H5 hardy and can be grown in full sun in a south or east-facing spot, in well-drained chalk, loam or sandy soil.
The plants can grow in locations which are sheltered or exposed, but will appreciate being placed in as hot and sunny a spot as possible.
Tender yucca, though they can be placed outside in a warm and sunny spot in summer, are usually grown as houseplants, or in a cool conservatory.
Outdoors, yucca can work well in architectural planting alongside other spiky and architectural plants, to give a warm, sunny garden in the UK an exotic feel.
Yucca also work well as climate-change-conscious planting in arid conditions, in dry climate planting known as xeriscaping schemes for more (or increasingly) drought-prone areas.
Planting Yucca
When choosing a yucca to plant, one of your first and most important decisions will be whether you would like to opt for a tender or a hardy yucca.
You will need to decide whether you will grow outdoors in a suitable spot, or will be growing under cover in a container.
If you are planting outdoors, make sure that you choose a spot with as much sun as possible, and where necessary, amend the soil to improve drainage before you place your new plant.
Dig your planting hole big enough to accommodate the root system, with stones, gravel or grit for drainage at the base.
Make sure the plant is rested at the same level in the soil that it was in its pot and that water can drain away freely.
If you are growing in a container, make sure that this is of sufficient size to accommodate the plant you have purchased.
And make sure the container allows water to drain freely from the base.
Fill your container with John Innes No. 2 compost (or equivalent) with 20-30% added grit by volume to improve drainage.
Hardy yuccas outdoors should usually be planted between May and September.
Yuccas to be grown as houseplants can be planted up into new containers at any time of year.
Yucca Plant Care
Hardy Yucca (Growing Outdoors)
Hardy yucca grown outdoors can be moderately low-maintenance plants, which, when placed in the right spot, will require little ongoing care.
Water freely during dry periods in summer, but curtail watering in autumn and cease over the winter months.
While you may feed with an organic liquid plant feed over the summer months, this is not usually required when yucca are grown in moderately fertile soil.
Mulching around perennial plants in your garden each spring with organic matter can help retain moisture in a dry and sunny spot, and maintain fertility over time.
Pruning is not usually required on most yucca.
If they have multiple rosettes and do become too large or leggy in an area, you can prune rosettes with a sharp saw after flowering, before the end of August.
However, to keep things looking neat you may also need to remove damaged leaves and spent flower spikes from your yucca in the spring.
This is also true for young or tender yucca grown in containers/indoors.
“Large Yuccas, such as Yucca gloriosa, can become multi-stemmed, and this gives the option to take cuttings,” shares Peter Lickorish, a Horticultural Consultant.
“In mid-summer, after flowering, a rosette can be sawn cleanly from the trunk and the leaves stripped back to stalks for all but a few smaller leaves.
“There should be some woody base growth and some of the leaf-clad growth on the cutting. Trim the top and tail of the cutting so it is no more than 18cm tall and place it to half its depth in a pot of compost.
“You can even slice it in half lengthways if it is top-heavy.”
Tender Yucca (Growing As Houseplants)
Tender yucca are suitable for indoors cultivation, though pots may also be placed outdoors during the summer months.
Water yucca freely over the summer months, remembering that plants grown in containers will typically require more water and dry out more easily than those grown in the ground.
However, from the end of September, you should water yucca only sparingly.
Water well, but only when the top 5cm of the potting mix has dried out.
It is also a good idea to feed container-grown yucca with a balanced, organic liquid plant feed once a fortnight over the growing season, from April to September when growing in containers.
If you have placed a container-grown yucca outside over the summer, make sure you move it indoors before temperatures fall below around 7-10°C at night.
Move them indoors or into a cool conservatory where the minimum temperatures can be maintained.
