Red Yucca

One of the more interesting drought tolerant plants because of its tremendous architectural benefits in the landscape is the Red Yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora. This plant is certainly a must accent plant in any xeriscape landscape but, in all reality, should be used in moderation. When planted too close together the plant can tend to look kind of ratty and unkempt. On the other hand when spaced properly and used as highlights for specific areas they can indeed be very attractive. So much so that they can even be highlighted in the garden at night with accent lighting.

Red Yucca is part of the Agave Family (Agavaceae) and are without a doubt quite popular as evidenced by the widespread use of the plant throughout the Inland Empire. By far one the most remarkable benefits of the Red Yucca when its in full bloom is its ability to attract Hummingbirds. As previously mentioned when discussing one of my favorite features of the Desert Bird-of-Paradise Red Yucca is also a tremendous lure for Hummingbirds. So if you like to attract Hummingbirds to the garden (and who doesn't) then make sure to find a place for a few in your landscape.

The flowers of these plants grow on long spikes that can reach up to 8 feet tall. The flowers tend to be red to pink about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, somewhat trumpet shaped and, just like Desert Bird-of-Paradise, they have long, protruding stamens. There is also a variety that produces yellow flowers. Red Yuccas also produce a rather large seed pod that in itself can be quite interesting. This seed pod contains numerous black, flat seeds that need to be dried prior to attempting to propagate them.

Red Yuccas prefer full sun and don't generally do well when overly shaded so for best flowering results be sure to plant them in the open. Once established the plant needs little, if any, direct water. This makes them perfect for our naturally dry desert climate. In fact when overly watered the plant will begin to look shaggy and overgrown and loose its naturally graceful arching habit.

The plant itself requires little to no maintenance except for the need to remove spent flower stalks at the end of the growing season so it is perfect for those looking for ease of maintenance. Red Yucca has a long growing season from late spring to late fall. The plant is very tolerant of the low winter temperatures typical of the desert and is cold hardy to the low teens and below. These plants can also take inadequate soil conditions. As long as the soil adequately drains Red Yucca will be tolerant of most soil conditions.

The plant itself is quite versatile in that it can be used many design applications. Besides the obvious uses in xeriscape and southwestern designs the plant can also be used in tropical and Mediterranean settings as well. And because the plant is clean and does not shed it is also extremely useful and quite beneficial around swimming pools.

So let review. Red Yucca is clean, doesn't shed, is drought tolerant, interesting and colorful, easy to maintain, extremely cold hardy, takes full sun and reflected heat with ease, attracts Hummingbirds and has a graceful, arching form. Wow! No wonder Red Yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora is one of the most widely used landscape shrubs in our region.