Yucca, 'Color Guard'

Other Names: Adam's Needle

Description:

Wow, this is one showy plant, with its succulent creamy white sword-like leaves with green margins radiating from the center of the plant, pinkish in fall; the tall spire of nodding bell-like flowers in summer is a daring bonus, loves dry soils and sun

Ornamental Features

Color Guard Yucca features bold spikes of creamy white bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid to late summer. Its attractive sword-like leaves are creamy white in color with distinctive green edges. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous pink in the fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes

Color Guard Yucca is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Color Guard Yucca is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Color Guard Yucca will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This plant 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 not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.

Color Guard Yucca is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use 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. 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.