This is everywhere on the side of my SC neighbors house. What are they???
This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 4:29 PM
What the heck is this???
Believe it's Yucca filamentosa, and it's getting ready to bloom. At the lower right corner, I'm guessing the vine is a morning glory.
Thank you so much. I had my friend go over and check and she said that it is beginning to bloom. It will have white flowers.
Looks like a young yucca. I'm not a big fan of those, easy to get stuck. Sharp.
It looks like a yucca to me too. Mine is basically dead now. But in an attempt to save it, I cut it down to the ground. I see a little bit of green on it so I'll see if I can save it. But yours looks really nice. Make sure to take photos of it when it flowers. I bet it will be really pretty.
Jesse
It is not mine YET. I am going to see once I get there if she will allow me to divide it if possible. I wont be there when it blooms. In fact it may have done so already. I took that picture when I was there over spring break.
If it has not flowered for some reason by the time I arrive there in July then I will for sure take a picture.
Thanks for all your help everyone. It is so amazing how many plants, bushes and trees that I have seen back there that I have never seen before in my life.
This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 4:30 PM
I lived in Florida for a very short while and the house we were renting had a very large yucca plant. The blooms were beautiful. It was a lot taller then the one shown and gorgeous to look at. However, CoreHHI made a very good point. The older and bigger it gets ( and they get huge in Florida) the thorns on the ends of the leaves become lethal. We had a dog who ran by the plant and almost lost her eye. It took a lot of trips to the vet to save her eye and her eyesight-not to mention money. I am just grateful it was not our 2-year-old son. I went home and spent hours cutting the thorns off the end of every single leaf. It didn't hurt the plant. If it had been our house we would have removed the plant for the safety of our son.
Yucca is on the list of plants which are dangerous to children, and in some (probably all) states it is illegal to have them around day care centers or school playgrounds. This is due to the very sharp leaf points.
missgarney, how interesting! I did not know that! But it certainly makes sense! A lot of people have them planted around here and I cannot image why when the Carolinas have so many beautiful plants and flowers.
I saw a huge yucca today along the road and the flowers were pink. I believe that is the first pink one I have ever seen.
Missgarney, thank you so much for the info. After talking with a few other SC natives I decided that this plant looks better at a distance. My kids are old enough to not touch or play around the gardens but someday I hope to have grandchildren. The garden was the product of the previous owners and it shows that it once was very loved. The soil at the house is the same as mine, all clay but she does have several gardens that are looking really good now. I think the front was amended by the previous owner but the rest has been all them.
Pink???? Once Fleurs gave me the name I researched them some. I never ran across even a picture of pink flowers. How cool. I wonder if it is a true color or just a fluke pollination. Bet it was beautiful.
This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 4:33 PM
I happen to think you don't have to be a child to get hurt on yucca. Imagine backing into it while weeding or mowing. But of course an encounter with the eye would be catastrophic. They don't call it "Spanish Bayonet" for nothing!
I don't like them but someone gave me a couple for free. This is what it looks like in bloom.
I luv 'em! However I can see how they should not be around an area where children would be playing (unless the children are of the age of "knowing better").
Not only are these plants heat and drought tolerant but some types will give you your own soap via their roots and/or leaves. (I prefer the leaves so the plant doesn't have to be killed.)
And those flowers, the petals are a welcomed gift on a hot day...try tasting one, or more, and you'll find they offer you a bit of thirst quenching.
I've even dried and braided the leaves and made ropes for my hanging bird-feeders (which are made out of coconuts). Due to the fibrous material of the leaves they can be easily stripped into pieces and used for ropes, weaving, etc. It's a wonderful plant that, to me, has a great deal to offer.
Hope this helps you look at it from another perspective, Carat!
Shoe.
Good points Shoe!!
My little addition - keep those burglars at bay!! LOL!! No kidding, a place I rented had a huge 'crop' of them - I KNOW no one would try to get in that window!! :)
YES they are good to block off areas if you want. Raspberry bushes are good to. Put the two together and you have a nasty combo. Raspberry a bush? I get wild ones growing in my yard, not fond of those either.
Mollie, I can't imagine anyone planting them on purpose either! The previous owners planted a bunch of them and I've pulled all but two. One is just too large (it had four blooming stalks this year!) and the other I'm going after as soon as it cools down. Where I have dug out the others, I have lots of new little ones coming up. They just don't look right under beautiful dogwoods!! I'll do a more thorough job of digging them and the roots up early this fall. The flowers are pretty, but the plant isn't to me. There are so many other plantings I'd rather have!
Well, they are very pretty with Dogwoods and are also great under windows to keep burglers at bay. The white blooms are long lasting and pretty. Not many folks have them and they aren't the usual 10 days of bloom that your azealeas have. Just something different for those who don't want to look like everyone else. For those who think "outside the box". Just a bolder grass.
I planted them several places on purpose and bet unless you destroy the babies many would like to have them.
I didn't get all of them, sugarweed. I have babies popping up and the larger ones I tossed in our gully seem to have planted themselves in their new spot. They can have the gully, but not my northside gardens.
A lot of people around here have them planted at the entrance to their driveways. I can always spot their houses. They look like some one set a dead, stuffing-falling out scarecrow out by the road for the trash man! They don''t bloom all that nicely here and that "trunk" gets real raggedy- looking. (And I think I just added about 6 new words to the dictionary.):)
My parents and their neighbors have them. They are very pretty and get VERY tall. the neighbor's had to have been around 9ft tall this year. DM isn't quite that large. Our neighbors have them also although they didn't bloom this year as they are so shaded and all the roots are coming up. I thought I would like one for DD or our house, but I think we'll pass as we both have smaller yards and lots of kids & dogs/cats coming and going. I saw some beautiful ones on the North side of Vegas today.
I am wondering how you would go about digging them up. I mean, how deep are the roots and how tough are they to dig up? The lady across the street has some big ones in her yard and she has kids age 3, 5, and 8. We both have the same landlord and I think I'll ask her if I can go over and dig them up. I don't think the neighbors want them so maybe I could have them. Anyone know how to safely dig them up without getting cut to pieces?
Jesse
Jesse,
Well you just dig down all around the plant and get as much of it as you can. It's a large hardy root. Considering that I didn't take care to take all the root without damaging it, then tossed them into the gully (to die), I don't think they're delicate at all. They've taken root and are still alive and well. I wouldn't worry about it!!
The flowers are pretty, but I like the English Cottage garden look.