Yucca rostrata, or the beaked yucca as they call it in its native Texas, is one of my favorite large landscape succulents. It’s easy to see why:
Its thick trunk topped with one or more perfectly symmetrical pom-poms of silvery blue leaves makes it a stunning focal point. In addition, it’s super tough: It can withstand intense summer heat and survive temperatures as low as 0°F.
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| Yucca rostrata at the Ruth Bancroft Garden (December 2021) |
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| Even smaller specimens with little visible trunk are highly architectural, as seen here in a commercial landscape in Irvine, California |
The only maddening thing about Yucca rostrata is its speed of growth. Or rather, lack of it. Even under ideal conditions — lots of heat and regular summer water — it takes 10+ years for it to reach its mature height of 10-15 feet. This also means that larger, more mature specimens are often very expensive.
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| Yucca rostrata at the Ruth Bancroft Garden Nursery. Specimens with a foot or two of trunk are $1000 and up. |
About 12 years ago, I planted a Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ (a cultivar with particularly blue leaves originally selected by Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery in Portland) in the planting strip between our house and our neighbor’s. In July 2023, it finally flowered:
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| July 2023 |
After flowering, it went into a period of decline and looked quite ratty — not uncommon, from what I’ve read. In reality, it put its energy into making two additional heads. I would have welcomed the multi-headed look, but there was a big problem: It was leaning even more precariously towards our neighbor’s garage. The lean had started years ago, but nothing I tried — propping up the trunk and trying to pull it in the other direction with a tie-down strap — had much effect.
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| October 2025 |
I finally realized that ignoring the problem wasn’t going to make it go away. The point of no return had long been reached, and there was simply no fix. With a heavy heart, I followed the recommendation of a friend and bought
15" pruning blades for my reciprocating saw:
Cutting through the trunk was easier than I had expected:
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| November 2, 2025 |
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| November 2, 2025 |
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| Waiting for curbside yard waste pickup |
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| November 2, 2025 |
The saw blade I had bought wasn’t long enough to make an easy cut closer to ground level. Fortunately, our neighbor had some tree work done the other day and asked the tree service to cut the
Yucca rostrata trunk as close to the ground as they could:
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| November 10, 2025 |
While I’m waiting for the trunk to decay (I drilled a bunch of holes to speed up the process), I’m using it as a plant stand:
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| November 10, 2025 |
I’m planning on changing up this spot next year, but for now, this is what it is.
I have two more
Yucca rostrata, one in a pot next to the
new Corten home of my Cleistocactus strausii and one in the sidewalk bed:
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| Blooming for the first time in early July 2025, Vitex agnus-castus above it |
As much as I love Yucca rostrata, there’s one yucca I think is even more attractive: Yucca linearifolia. Once considered a subspecies of Yucca rostrata, its leaves are greener and even narrower, giving the plant an almost grass-like appearance. Here’s ours in the sidewalk bed, about 20 ft. from the Yucca rostrata above:
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| Yucca linearifolia |
Yucca linearifolia is somewhat rare in the nursery trade — don’t ask me why! Our specimen (above) was in a 1-gallon can when I planted it in 2014. It’s definitely not a speed demon either, but good things are worth waiting for.
© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
Tucson Botanical Garden is one of my very favorite gardens. The Yuccas are sure beautiful. There is certainly an advantage to having more than one of a plant! I assume that Yucca linearifolia is expensive like crostata. I really like it very much!
ReplyDeleteI don't really know the current prices for Yucca linearifolia. I know it's in tissue culture, but larger specimens are still hard to find.
DeleteIt's too bad you lost the Yucca but it does make a great plant stand! You're right about the Yucca's slow growth. I got a 'Sapphire Skies' from Annie's back in 2019. It spent a year-plus in a large pot before I planted it in my street-side bed in 2021. It has yet to form any kind of trunk, although it appears happy enough.
ReplyDeleteFYI, I seem to be receiving email messages about your posts on a regular basis again :)
Good news re: email notifications! It seems like Google/Blogger/Blogspot does what it wants.
DeleteI couldn't agree more! I love Yucca rostrata - BUT have switched over to Yucca Linearifolia as my #1. There is just something about that growth, and the centerpoint of grouped spikes. Of course, mine are years behind your 2014 specimen by the fence. *Still sad to see the rostrata being eliminated, but such is garden life!
ReplyDeleteYou can probably tell I agonized over this FOR YEARS. But the lean got worse. Which is weird, because it's leaning AWAY from the sun.
DeleteSad about your yucca however, every plant has it's time. Would it not resprout from the base again? I have a couple of Yucca filimentosa (green and Colour Guard) whose main stem dies down in winter but resprouts from the trunk. I kind of like the clumping effect. It will be interesting to see what your plan for the area is.
ReplyDeleteIt might resprout from the trunk, but it would be 10+ years before we get anything interesting. Plus, since we're sharing this space with our neighbor, there are different concerns and compromises involved.
DeleteOh man! I did not see that one coming. So many Yucca rostrata grow straight, I love the ones with a little bend or lean, although of course yours wasn't sustainable long term. I'm also surprised how woody the trunk is. I was expecting something more fibrous. Lastly, I'm the odd one out who thinks Y. rostrata are preferable to Y. linearifolia.
ReplyDeleteI like a little bend, but this one was more than a little. I still don't know why it did that.
DeleteWow, you certainly know your Yuccas! Y. filamentosa and Y. glauca are common around here because they're cold-hardy, but some people grow some of the others in pots and take them inside during winter. I guess Y. rostrata would be close to being able to survive here, in a warm microclimate and especially during a mild winter. Wow, I didn't realize that! I haven't grown Yuccas myself, because I'm low on sunny spots in my garden. But I love to view them, and especially when I visit warmer climates. Great advice, and great recommendation to consider Y. linearifolia.
ReplyDeleteTry a Yucca rostrata if you find one. Small ones (1 gal size) are actually pretty cheap.
DeleteElizabeth Lawrence supposedly asked, “Are you cruel enough to be a gardener?” Life isn’t pretty sometimes; I grieve for you and your Yucca, but here’s to opportunity…
ReplyDelete