Red Yucca

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) is the low water plant that keeps flowering when everything around it has stopped. The clump of narrow blue green leaves holds at about 1m tall and 1.2m across, and through the warmer months it sends up arching stems to around 1.5m hung with coral red and pink bells. Despite the name it is not a true yucca, and the leaf tips are soft, so it is safe beside a path.

Why you'll love it

• Months of flower, not weeks. Bells right through the warm season, well after most drought plants have finished.
• No spines to worry about. Unlike agaves and true yuccas the foliage is thornless, so it can sit beside a driveway, path or play area.
• Genuinely tough. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant, frost hardy and content in poor soil.
• Birds find it. Honeyeaters work the tubular flowers day after day.
• Almost no maintenance. No pruning, no staking, no spraying, just the spent stems cut off once a year.

Where it works best

Rockeries and gravel gardens. Sharp drainage and reflected heat suit it exactly, and the fine leaf texture reads well against stone.

Mass planting and borders. Plant 1m apart and the clumps meet without crowding, the flower stems lifting above the foliage as one layer. It suits a driveway edge or a bed front.

Pots and feature planting. A single clump in a wide container works on a hot balcony where little else flowers.

Growing Red Yucca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day. It suits arid and semi arid, warm temperate, Mediterranean, cool temperate and subtropical gardens, and it is frost hardy, so Canberra, inland Victoria and the tablelands are within range.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy, gravelly and rocky soils suit it as they are. On clay, plant on a mound raised 200mm to 300mm and open the backfill with coarse sand. Wet feet through winter is the one thing that kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feeding is optional; slow release fertiliser in early spring lifts flowering, and anything heavier just produces soft foliage.

Pruning. Cut the flower stems back to the base once the last bells have gone, usually in late autumn. Pull dead outer leaves away by hand and never cut into the crown.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are grown: 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six for mass planting, and single 300mm plants for an established clump straight away. The pack sizes arrive as small fans of leaves and take two to three years to reach full size and flower properly. A 300mm plant usually flowers in its first or second season.

It travels well, because the leaves are stiff and hold their own moisture. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read why red yuccas have become so popular.
• Our yucca care guide covers planting, drainage and dividing.
• Browse the wider rockery plant range.
• Compare other drought tolerant plants.

Common questions

Is it a real yucca?

No. It belongs to a related genus, Hesperaloe. The difference that matters is the foliage: no rigid spines or sharp tips.

How far apart should I plant it?

1m apart. Each clump spreads to about 1.2m, so they meet without losing shape.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and copes with cold inland winters, unlike agaves and most succulents.

How long does it flower for?

Through the warmer months, typically spring into autumn in a warm garden and a shorter run in cool temperate districts.