Silver Star Yucca

Silver Star Yucca (Yucca elephantipes 'Silver Star') is the yucca you can plant beside a path without anyone getting jabbed. It reaches about 3m tall and 1.5m wide, with broad grey green leaves edged in cream and soft tips rather than spines. That one difference is why it ends up beside pools and front doors instead of at the back of a bed.

Why you'll love it

• Thornless leaf tips. The leaves bend rather than spear, so it is safe against a walkway, pool fence or doorway.
• Colour without flowers. The cream margins hold all year, so it carries a bed in winter as well as summer.
• Genuinely low water. Drought and heat tolerant once established, which suits a courtyard nobody waters and an arid inland garden alike.
• Salt tolerant. It handles coastal air and chlorinated splash, the two things that ruin most variegated foliage near a pool.

Where it works best

Poolside and paved courtyards. Salt tolerance and soft leaf tips make it one of the few architectural plants that belongs within arm's reach of the water. Set plants 1.5m apart for a loose row.

Pots, balconies and entries. A container holds it to roughly 1.5m to 2m, often the better height for a balcony. A matched pair either side of a door reads as deliberate.

Indoors. It will live inside in a very bright spot, though growth slows and the variegation dulls away from direct light.

Growing Silver Star Yucca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest cream banding. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and arid or semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cool districts grow it in a pot you can shift under the eaves.

Soil. Sharp drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy or gravelly soil is ideal; on clay, mound the bed and open it with coarse sand. Wet feet through winter is what kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. In pots, let the mix dry most of the way through between drinks. One slow release feed in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Almost none required. Pull off spent lower leaves as they brown, and if it outgrows its spot, saw the trunk back: it reshoots from the cut, usually with two or three new heads.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes three ways: 200mm plants in packs of six, single 300mm plants at a useful starting size, and 100L specimens already carrying a thick trunk. Growth is moderate, so the larger sizes are worth it if you want the look now.

Thick leaves and a woody stem mean it travels well, and a few marked outer leaves after transit are cosmetic. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full yucca care guide.
• Browse other plants for poolside gardens.
• Compare our architectural plants range.
• See more drought tolerant plants.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Yucca foliage contains saponins that are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, usually causing drooling and vomiting. Plant it where a pet that chews foliage cannot reach it.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. A brief touch on an established plant marks the leaf tips and no more, but repeated hard frosts will not be tolerated. Cold gardens should treat it as a pot plant.

Can I keep it indoors permanently?

Yes, in the brightest position you have. Expect slower growth and softer variegation than an outdoor plant, and water only once the mix has dried through.

How tall will it get in a pot?

Around 1.5m to 2m rather than the full 3m, because the restricted root run limits it. Repot every three or four years, or top the trunk to hold it where you want.