Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Beaked Yucca, Big Bend Yucca, Yucca rostrata

Description:

A succulent cactus-like shrub with beautiful blue-green spear-like leaves radiating from the center and tall spikes of nodding white flowers in autumn; once established, this variety is trunk forming; good for dry sites, use as a focal accent

Ornamental Features

Thompson's Yucca features bold spikes of creamy white bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from late summer to early fall. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The sword-like leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Thompson's Yucca is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Thompson's Yucca is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Thompson's Yucca will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity extending to 15 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.

Thompson's Yucca makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.