Yucca desmetiana

Yucca desmetiana is the yucca you can plant beside a path without regretting it. The leaves are soft and spineless, so it gives you the strong upright form of a yucca with none of the sharp tips that make the genus a problem near people. It reaches about 1.5m tall and 1.2m wide, with blue-green leaves that flush burgundy and plum in cool weather and strong sun.

Why you'll love it

• Thornless and soft leafed. No spines, no rigid points. It is the sensible yucca for a poolside, an entry path or a garden used by children.
• Colour that changes with the season. Blue-green through the warm months, deepening to burgundy and plum tones in cooler weather and bright positions.
• Architectural form with no upkeep. A clean upright rosette on a slowly lengthening trunk, and it holds that shape without pruning.
• Coastal, drought and heat tolerant. Salt air, long dry spells and reflected heat off paving are all normal conditions for it.

Where it works best

Poolside. The soft leaves are the reason. It gives the sculptural look people want around a pool without presenting a hazard to bare feet.

Feature planting and pots. One plant in a 500mm pot at an entry is a complete statement. In the ground, keep low planting around it so the trunk and rosette stay visible.

Coastal gardens and rockeries. Salt tolerance and a need for sharp drainage suit it to sandy coastal beds and raised gravel rockeries.

Growing Yucca desmetiana in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest burgundy colouring and the tightest rosette; part shade works but the plant stays greener and looser. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, arid and Mediterranean gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens should keep it in a pot that shifts under cover.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the one thing it will not compromise on. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a mound at least 200mm above grade with coarse grit through the backfill.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer only. After that it is genuinely drought tolerant, and monthly watering in extended dry weather is plenty. Feed once in spring with a slow release fertiliser at half the label rate.

Maintenance. Pull off spent lower leaves as they brown, or leave them for a shaggier look. Cream to white flower spikes appear on mature plants. No pruning is required.

What to expect when it arrives

This yucca is grown as tube stock. A tube is a young rosette, typically 15 to 25cm high with a handful of leaves and no visible trunk yet. Because it is a slow grower, expect three to four years before it resembles the mature plant.

Yuccas are among the easiest plants to freight, since the thick leaves hold their own moisture and there is nothing brittle to snap. Plant into free draining ground or a gritty potting mix, water in once, then leave it alone for a fortnight. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Yucca care: positioning, watering and problems
• More plants suited to poolside planting
• Architectural plants for designed gardens
• Browse drought tolerant plants

Common questions

Is it safe around pets?

No. Yuccas contain saponins that are toxic to cats and dogs, causing vomiting and drooling if the leaves are chewed. The plant is physically safe to brush past, but not one to grow within reach of a pet that eats foliage.

Does it really have no spines?

Correct. The leaves are soft and flexible with no terminal spine, which separates this species from the more common and much sharper yuccas.

How much frost can it take?

Light frost only. An occasional touch of frost in a warm temperate garden is survivable once established, but repeated hard frosts will damage the crown. In cold districts grow it in a pot and move it under cover for winter.