Color Guard Yucca

Color Guard Yucca Is Beautiful & Different

A Vibrant Yucca Filamentosa Variation


The color guard yucca is one of the most beautiful yuccas available.

Known also by its Latin name, yucca filamentosa. It has another common name, which you may have seen before. It is called an “Adam’s needle” in some places.

Whatever its name, this plant is highly desirable for its easy care and vibrant color palette. It will make an impact on your garden, no doubt about it.




This yucca is a variegated yucca, meaning there are color variations in the leaves. Most yuccas have leaves of dark green, but along with the bright edge yucca (a very close relative) and the blue yucca, the color guard yucca brings extra colors to your yard.

This plant is actually a dwarf version of the Adam’s needle/yucca filamentosa like the bright edge yucca.

How The Color Guard Yucca Got Its Name
  
As mentioned earlier, most yuccas have dark green leaves. This particular yucca filamentosa has dark green leaves with a bright yellow stripe running down the middle of them. Trust me, they really stand out.


color guard yucca, yucca filamentosa
Courtesy J. Reeves

But that’s not all. When the temperatures cool for winter the yellow strip turns to rose and the margins of the leaf become pinkish. This lasts through early spring and really adds a bit of pop to the winter garden scene.

The Color Guard Yucca In Your Garden

This plant will not only add verve to your palette of green, but will also be quite easy to care for. Plant in a spot with partial to full sun, provide regular water as the plant becomes established, and fertilize lightly.

After the root system has developed, usually after the first year, watering can reduce. Well-drained soil is important, as yuccas don’t care to sit in moisture. Pruning is rarely necessary; only to remove dead leaves and canes.

The plant is quite hardy and withstands the heat of summer and the freeze of winter well. It grows well in zones 5-10. This makes it ideal for both xeriscape and traditional gardens.

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The Adam's Needle Yucca (Yucca Filamentosa)

The rosette of leaves grows about 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. This makes it an ideal plant for smaller spaces. Out of the leaves several canes, that bear blooms after the first or second year, will rise between 3 and 5 feet in the air.

The blooms on the canes are one of the yucca’s most attractive qualities. Creamy white and bell shaped, they are often tinged with green and look especially luminescent in the moonlight.

The blooms have a sweet fragrance, but because of their night blooming (yes, they’re nocturnal) will mostly attract the yucca moth, which is the only yucca pollinator. Blooming will begin mid-summer and continue through the early fall.

I, personally, love the color of the leaves and compact nature of the plant. It can even be grown in a pot!

Try it in your garden; I’m certain you’ll find it a natural addition to your landscaping.




Related Pages:
Blue Yucca
Bright Edge Yucca
Joshua Tree
Red Yucca
Soaptree Yucca
Spanish Bayonet