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Yucca glauca

great plains yucca

Asparagaceae Great Plains of North America

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Fragrant (light)Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterVery Low · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Yucca glauca, Great Plains yucca, is an evergreen, clump-forming succulent of the asparagus family. It produces a low rosette of stiff, narrow, blue-green leaves 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) long and about 0.4 inch (10 mm) wide, each edged with white margins and curling fibers and tipped with a sharp spine. In early to midsummer a single flower stalk rises 3-5 feet (90-150 cm) above the foliage, bearing dozens of nodding, bell-shaped, greenish-white flowers 1.5-2.5 inches (4-6 cm) long. The fruit is a dry, upright capsule that splits to release flat black seeds. Plants form offsets at the base, building colonies over time, and a deep taproot anchors them in dry prairie soils. Y. glauca depends on yucca moths (Tegeticula spp. species) for pollination; the moth lays eggs in the flower and its larvae feed on some of the developing seeds. It withstands cold, drought, and wind on the open plains but rots in wet, poorly drained ground. The sharp leaf tips limit its placement near walkways. It grows in dry borders, rock gardens, and prairie restorations across the central United States.

Native Range

Yucca glauca is native to the Great Plains of North America, from the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan south through the central United States to Texas and New Mexico. It grows on dry plains, sandhills, bluffs, and rocky slopes. It tolerates winter lows near -30F (-34C).

Suggested Uses

Great Plains yucca is planted in xeriscapes, rock gardens, gravel beds, and dry prairie restorations. Its stiff evergreen rosette adds vertical structure to low-water plantings. The flowers draw pollinating yucca moths.

How to Identify

Identify Great Plains yucca by its ground-level rosette of rigid, blue-green, sword-shaped leaves with white margins and peeling curly fibers. Each leaf ends in a stiff, sharp point. In summer a stout stalk carries drooping, creamy greenish-white bells well above the foliage, followed by erect woody capsules. Its narrower leaves and shorter stature separate it from Yucca filamentosa and tree-forming yuccas.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 5'

Width/Spread2' - 3'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering occurs in late spring to midsummer, generally May through July depending on latitude. Each rosette blooms once per season, opening its bells over two to three weeks. Night-opening flowers release scent that draws the pollinating yucca moth.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

Blue-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-5 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow Great Plains yucca in full sun and sharp, fast-draining soil, including sand, loam, and rocky or gravelly mixes. Once established it needs no irrigation and survives extended drought through its deep taproot. Overwatering and wet winter soils cause crown and root rot, the main cause of failure in cultivation. It is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and keeps its foliage through winter. Remove spent flower stalks after seed drop, and divide offsets to propagate. It has few pests, though leaf-spot fungi can mark foliage in humid climates.