Trunking Cold Hardy Yucca?

[vlc]

Hi there! I'm looking for recommendations on cold-hardy, trunking Yuccas for my garden in zone 7b/8a, where winters tend to be wet. I really love the look of Yucca gigantea (Y. elephantipes), but from what I’ve read, they’re not very cold hardy.

I know Yucca aloifolia is another trunking variety, but I’ve heard they tend to snap and fall over once they reach around 5 feet tall. Is that true? Do they have trouble supporting the weight of their heads? Is there a way to prevent that from happening?

I was hoping aloifolia could develop multiple heads or branches like elephantipes, but it sounds like that might not be the case?

Are there any other cold-hardy, trunking Yuccas that can branch out, grow tall, and develop multiple heads, without the risk of snapping and falling over? Thanks for your help!

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Im no expert but maybe Yucca baccata? or maybe brevifolia. But not sure if the wetness could cause some issues. 

I don’t think anything is comparable to the stature of a gigantea, but aloifolia might do fine.

[vlc]

14 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Im no expert but maybe Yucca baccata? or maybe brevifolia. But not sure if the wetness could cause some issues. 

I don’t think anything is comparable to the stature of a gigantea, but aloifolia might do fine.

I like Aloifolia, but why do they fall over and how to prevent it?

[Silas_Sancona]

22 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Im no expert but maybe Yucca baccata? or maybe brevifolia. But not sure if the wetness could cause some issues. 

I don’t think anything is comparable to the stature of a gigantea, but aloifolia might do fine.

Forget either of those back east, long term at least...  

Y. rostrata would worth a try since there are specimens of it growing well back there.. 

Only other possible arborescent " western " Yucca species i can think of that might work in the southeast would be Y. madrensis, sourced from mountains near / just south of  the AZ / Mex. border.  More rain down there during the summer so it would tolerate that better than the desert sps.. Colder down there too. 

Cross w/ aloifolia might be interesting  ..if it doesn't already exist.. 




As far as falling over?  nasty enough storm(s), even the desert species can get knocked down / loose limbs.  See that every so often when roaming around the desert. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Forget either of those back east, long term at least...  

Y. rostrata would worth a try since there are specimens of it growing well back there.

As I said i’m not expert. Although I thought rostrata was wet sensitive for some reason. 

Also i’m surprised there aren’t more aloifolia hybrids honestly. 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

As I said i’m not expert. Although I thought rostrata was wet sensitive for some reason. 

Also i’m surprised there aren’t more aloifolia hybrids honestly. 

@teddytn has been growing rostrata in N.W' rn Tenn. for several years now.. He can add any addtnl. info, but don't think he's encountered many  / any?? issues with his. 
 

 

[Meangreen94z]

Yeah, Yucca brevifolia is probably the least water tolerant Yucca there is, don’t even bother. Yucca rostrata does well on the east coast. Yucca treculeana is extremely water tolerant, It grows on the Texas coast even in salt marsh.

Plant Delights Nursery usually has a couple of the native east coast Yucca listed

[vlc]

10 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

Yeah, Yucca brevifolia is probably the least water tolerant Yucca there is, don’t even bother. Yucca rostrata does well on the east coast. Yucca treculeana is extremely water tolerant, It grows on the Texas coast even in salt marsh.

Plant Delights Nursery usually has a couple of the native east coast Yucca listed

I have the Yucca Treculeana, but not sure if it can grow multiple heads like the Elephantipes does. I guess the same goes for Aloifolia, might be able to help it grow heads if I cut the main stem in half... hopefully that way the trunk would stabilize more and wouldn't fall over as easily.

[vlc]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

@teddytn has been growing rostrata in N.W' rn Tenn. for several years now.. He can add any addtnl. info, but don't think he's encountered many  / any?? issues with his. 
 

 

This is amazing, thanks for sharing! I have seen Rostratas around the Atlanta area as well, but not many. They grow very tall but don't think they typically form multiple heads from the same trunk.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, vlc said:

This is amazing, thanks for sharing! I have seen Rostratas around the Atlanta area as well, but not many. They grow very tall but don't think they typically form multiple heads from the same trunk.

They'll branch,  though it can take longer to do than some other Yucca sps.. 

Y. rigida is another ..that looks similar to rostrata... that will branch ( a bit faster in some cases )  Just not sure how that one might do back there.. 

Is  pretty tough / pretty sure it can handle more summer moisture / humidity, ..just not sure how much  more. @Meangreen94z  should have a better handle on that sp's performance in a not as dry as AZ kind of climate..

Leaves are tougher ( " rigid ",  like aloifolia ) but have the same fantastic sea blue / green coloration as rostrata..

There is also a cross between the two that is reasonably easy to find, that  will often branch in time.. 


Here is an on going Yucca - Centric thread i put together a few years back talkin' about all things Yucca worth looking over..
 

 

[teddytn]

13 hours ago, vlc said:

Hi there! I'm looking for recommendations on cold-hardy, trunking Yuccas for my garden in zone 7b/8a, where winters tend to be wet. I really love the look of Yucca gigantea (Y. elephantipes), but from what I’ve read, they’re not very cold hardy.

I know Yucca aloifolia is another trunking variety, but I’ve heard they tend to snap and fall over once they reach around 5 feet tall. Is that true? Do they have trouble supporting the weight of their heads? Is there a way to prevent that from happening?

I was hoping aloifolia could develop multiple heads or branches like elephantipes, but it sounds like that might not be the case?

Are there any other cold-hardy, trunking Yuccas that can branch out, grow tall, and develop multiple heads, without the risk of snapping and falling over? Thanks for your help!

Hey! Like @Silas_Sancona mentioned I have 4 good sized rostratas. 7b/8a you have the entire list if cold hardy yuccas that you can plant. Not sure where you are, but I’m 7a/7b and get 55-60 inches of rain a year. We get about 2-3 weeks of bad northern cold winter storms each year as well. I’ve got a ton of yuccas in ground now that don’t take any damage. Rostrata, rigida, treculeana, Aloifolia, faxoniana, shottii, toreyii, elata, gloriosa, any of those combos that are hybrids too. I’ve got rostrata x Thompsoniana. Then of course all the shrub yuccas will be rock solid for you. The caveat to being successful at growing tree yuccas in a wet climate is to get them high and dry. All of mine are planted in raised beds or berms with mainly pea gravel/ sand/ top soil mix heavy on the pea gravel 50% of the mix at least. And then height of that mix before hitting in my case Rocky red clay is super important. 6” high berm is no good, desert plant roots by design are meant to go deep and find water, the goal of a raising them up is to keep the water away from the base of the trunk and most of the roots. 12” high is better, 18” or higher is best. If you get a really well draining mix and go really high or deep depending on how you look at it and I’m planning for against the foundation as well ( against the foundation not so important for cold protection, but is also the driest part of my yard. House blocks a lot of rain right against the wall, and the wall acts like the inside of a clay pot and gives the water somewhere to go down fast at) should be able to get away with a brevifolia. They’re rock solid with cold but very sensitive to water. Caveat #2 start with as big a yucca as you can get reasonably. 1 gallon or 3 gallon is great, I say that because as great as coldhardycactus is at having a dynamite selection to buy, you’re going to get a plant that’s not really ground ready the first year you buy it. 

[teddytn]

Pics from last week of my 3 biggest rostratas pre and post trimming. May be the last time I trim them. I only do that because they block the sun getting into that bed when the sun is overhead in the summer. They’re are 12 years old from seed so in ground from a young age they will grow fast. 

[teddytn]

Yucca rostrata x thompsoniana 

You can really tell the difference in this picture, that’s my smallest rostrata and rostrata x thompsoniana next to the white porch post. Very stout and stiff leaves, not green like pure thompsoniana definitely have that glaucous color from some percent of rostrata mixed in. Far left is my smaller rigida, middle back is a green gloriosa, and recurvafolia. Can’t hurt any of this stuff when you get to at least zone 7 from cold. The winter moisture is what will cause problems 

[teddytn]

There was a mention of yucca aloifolia. When kept as a single trunk they can get too heavy and fall over, but in their natural colony state they produce a massive wide and tall plant. Yucca aloifolia Goldsboro, NC

[TropicsEnjoyer]

1 hour ago, teddytn said:

gloriosa

So these tolerate wet winters? I want one just haven’t spent the money yet.

[teddytn]

20 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

So these tolerate wet winters? I want one just haven’t spent the money yet.

Oh god yeah! The green form is tougher than the more widely available variegated form. But both are great. Cold wise might be limited to 7a though. We went to -4f here a few winters ago and my biggest variegated gloriosa the tallest main had freeze damage and collapsed, plant survived and came back from the lower heads no problem. Lower heads had no damage at all

[TropicsEnjoyer]

47 minutes ago, teddytn said:

Oh god yeah! The green form is tougher than the more widely available variegated form. But both are great. Cold wise might be limited to 7a though. We went to -4f here a few winters ago and my biggest variegated gloriosa the tallest main had freeze damage and collapsed, plant survived and came back from the lower heads no problem. Lower heads had no damage at all

Ok i’m in 9b so I should be a okay. The only thing is that I barely see people with yuccas, maybe they’re just not that popular where i’m at

[teddytn]

3 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Ok i’m in 9b so I should be a okay. The only thing is that I barely see people with yuccas, maybe they’re just not that popular where i’m at

I think that’s more the case for sure than not being able to survive there, especially with your sandy soil you should be good planting anywhere in theory. 

[SeanK]

Y.recurvifolia. Compound branching. Let me know if you want some.

[mnorell]

How about trying Y. mohavensis? It has unusual-looking thick, stiff leaves and develops a trunk with a very sculptural look. I've seen a few here in the Coachella Valley and, when trimmed up, they have a really beautiful and eye-catching effect in the right situation.

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

15 minutes ago, mnorell said:

How about trying Y. mohavensis? It has unusual-looking thick, stiff leaves and develops a trunk with a very sculptural look. I've seen a few here in the Coachella Valley and, when trimmed up, they have a really beautiful and eye-catching effect in the right situation.

I believe I've seen those here in the Atlanta area from time to time.  Or, possibly a cousin of theirs.  If they are adaptive to various soil conditions and can handle a wetter climate, I've probably seen Y. mohavensis here.

[Silas_Sancona]

16 minutes ago, mnorell said:

How about trying Y. mohavensis? It has unusual-looking thick, stiff leaves and develops a trunk with a very sculptural look. I've seen a few here in the Coachella Valley and, when trimmed up, they have a really beautiful and eye-catching effect in the right situation.

There is no Yucca species listed as mohavensis...


..If you're referring to Y. schidigera, Mojave Yucca,    ..forget it surviving back east.. 

[mnorell]

2 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

There is no Yucca species listed as mohavensis...


..If you're referring to Y. schidigera, Mojave Yucca,    ..forget it surviving back east.. 

Yes, according to GBIF et al., Y. mohavensis Sarg. (described/published in 1896 by Charles Sprague Sargent) is a valid synonym of Y. schidigera, Y. schindigera, Y. californica and Sarcoyucca mohavensis. And it's commonly referred to by this name in the trade and elsewhere. But take your pick, since by definition these names are opinions only and you are free to use the one with which you most agree. Apparently Sargent rather strongly disagreed with Benedikt Roezl's Y. schidigera of 1880. Plus he lists Y. macrocarpa and Y. baccata to the list in his description. Just a little bit more of that botanist drama...think of the reality shows that could have been...

Those interested in the botanical history of this genus may want to see Sargent's reasoning on this species (which I've excerpted below) as well as the full treatment of the genus Yucca in the Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report, 1902 (see the pdf at JSTOR here)

**

Y. MOHAVENSIS Sargent, Gard. and For. 9: 104. (1896).
Silva. 1o: 15. pl. 500.
Y. macrocarpa Coville, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 4 :202. (1893). In
large part. - Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna 7:358. pl. 14.
Y. baccata Watson, Bot. Calif. 2: 164. - Trelease, Rept. Mo. Bot.
Gard. 3: 162. pl. 2,48. 4: 185. pl. 20. -Amer. Florist. 8: 57.f.-
Orcutt, West Amer. Scientist. 6: 134.
Y. schidigera Roezl, Belg. Hort. 1880: 51.
Habit and general characters of the preceding. Style very short,
.contracted. Fruit mostly smaller. -Plates 68. 81, f. 6.
Western Arizona and Southern Nevada to the vicinity of
San Diego, California, and Alamo, Lower California, and as
far north as Monterey, where Parry first collected it.-
Plate 94, f. 1.
Though the principal observed difference between this
and the preceding lies in the style, which is contracted and
short in the one, and elongated in the other, the great area
of desert country lying between their known respective
localities makes it desirable to recognize them as distinct
species. From the locality there can be no doubt that
what Roezl collected near San Diego in 1869 and sold to
De Smet under the name of Y. schidigera was Y.
Mohavensis, which Dr. Engelmann regarded as intermediate
between Y. baccata and its variety australis as understood
by him.

**

BTW I saw plenty of desert Yuccas, Agaves, etc. in specialists' succulent gardens when I was living in Natchez, Mississippi. Usually a matter of substrate and watering (or protection therefrom), so as they say, "never say never"...

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, mnorell said:

Yes, according to GBIF et al., Y. mohavensis Sarg. (described/published in 1896 by Charles Sprague Sargent) is a valid synonym of Y. schidigera, Y. schindigera, Y. californica and Sarcoyucca mohavensis. And it's commonly referred to by this name in the trade and elsewhere. But take your pick, since by definition these names are opinions only and you are free to use the one with which you most agree. Apparently Sargent rather strongly disagreed with Benedikt Roezl's Y. schidigera of 1880. Plus he lists Y. macrocarpa and Y. baccata to the list in his description. Just a little bit more of that botanist drama...think of the reality shows that could have been...

Those interested in the botanical history of this genus may want to see Sargent's reasoning on this species (which I've excerpted below) as well as the full treatment of the genus Yucca in the Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report, 1902 (see the pdf at JSTOR here)

**

Y. MOHAVENSIS Sargent, Gard. and For. 9: 104. (1896).
Silva. 1o: 15. pl. 500.
Y. macrocarpa Coville, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 4 :202. (1893). In
large part. - Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna 7:358. pl. 14.
Y. baccata Watson, Bot. Calif. 2: 164. - Trelease, Rept. Mo. Bot.
Gard. 3: 162. pl. 2,48. 4: 185. pl. 20. -Amer. Florist. 8: 57.f.-
Orcutt, West Amer. Scientist. 6: 134.
Y. schidigera Roezl, Belg. Hort. 1880: 51.
Habit and general characters of the preceding. Style very short,
.contracted. Fruit mostly smaller. -Plates 68. 81, f. 6.
Western Arizona and Southern Nevada to the vicinity of
San Diego, California, and Alamo, Lower California, and as
far north as Monterey, where Parry first collected it.-
Plate 94, f. 1.
Though the principal observed difference between this
and the preceding lies in the style, which is contracted and
short in the one, and elongated in the other, the great area
of desert country lying between their known respective
localities makes it desirable to recognize them as distinct
species. From the locality there can be no doubt that
what Roezl collected near San Diego in 1869 and sold to
De Smet under the name of Y. schidigera was Y.
Mohavensis, which Dr. Engelmann regarded as intermediate
between Y. baccata and its variety australis as understood
by him.

**

BTW I saw plenty of desert Yuccas, Agaves, etc. in specialists' succulent gardens when I was living in Natchez, Mississippi. Usually a matter of substrate and watering (or protection therefrom), so as they say, "never say never"...

 Not Y. schidigera = not valid..  Synonym = no longer a valid name.  ..No use..   

[vlc]

21 hours ago, SeanK said:

Y.recurvifolia. Compound branching. Let me know if you want some.

Definitely interested. Do you have seeds or cuttings of mother plant? Would love to see the mother plant for reference too. Thank you!

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

20 hours ago, mnorell said:

Yes, according to GBIF et al., Y. mohavensis Sarg. (described/published in 1896 by Charles Sprague Sargent) is a valid synonym of Y. schidigera, Y. schindigera, Y. californica and Sarcoyucca mohavensis. And it's commonly referred to by this name in the trade and elsewhere. But take your pick, since by definition these names are opinions only and you are free to use the one with which you most agree. Apparently Sargent rather strongly disagreed with Benedikt Roezl's Y. schidigera of 1880. Plus he lists Y. macrocarpa and Y. baccata to the list in his description. Just a little bit more of that botanist drama...think of the reality shows that could have been...

Those interested in the botanical history of this genus may want to see Sargent's reasoning on this species (which I've excerpted below) as well as the full treatment of the genus Yucca in the Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report, 1902 (see the pdf at JSTOR here)

**

Y. MOHAVENSIS Sargent, Gard. and For. 9: 104. (1896).
Silva. 1o: 15. pl. 500.
Y. macrocarpa Coville, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 4 :202. (1893). In
large part. - Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna 7:358. pl. 14.
Y. baccata Watson, Bot. Calif. 2: 164. - Trelease, Rept. Mo. Bot.
Gard. 3: 162. pl. 2,48. 4: 185. pl. 20. -Amer. Florist. 8: 57.f.-
Orcutt, West Amer. Scientist. 6: 134.
Y. schidigera Roezl, Belg. Hort. 1880: 51.
Habit and general characters of the preceding. Style very short,
.contracted. Fruit mostly smaller. -Plates 68. 81, f. 6.
Western Arizona and Southern Nevada to the vicinity of
San Diego, California, and Alamo, Lower California, and as
far north as Monterey, where Parry first collected it.-
Plate 94, f. 1.
Though the principal observed difference between this
and the preceding lies in the style, which is contracted and
short in the one, and elongated in the other, the great area
of desert country lying between their known respective
localities makes it desirable to recognize them as distinct
species. From the locality there can be no doubt that
what Roezl collected near San Diego in 1869 and sold to
De Smet under the name of Y. schidigera was Y.
Mohavensis, which Dr. Engelmann regarded as intermediate
between Y. baccata and its variety australis as understood
by him.

**

BTW I saw plenty of desert Yuccas, Agaves, etc. in specialists' succulent gardens when I was living in Natchez, Mississippi. Usually a matter of substrate and watering (or protection therefrom), so as they say, "never say never"...

Bingo.

[SeanK]

5 hours ago, vlc said:

Definitely interested. Do you have seeds or cuttings of mother plant? Would love to see the mother plant for reference too. Thank you!

No mother plant. Even the smallest piece of root will generate a plant. I have a bunch in pots I cleared from a bed. If you're interested, drop postal details in my PM box.