Soapweed, Soapwell, Bear Grass, Great Plains Yucca

The toughest and hardiest yucca for the north and east (US). I also think it's quite ornamental. Adds an exotic note here.

...Read More The flowers are cream-white, usually unevenly tinted with green and sometimes dull pink. Unlike Yucca filimentosa/flaccida, flower scapes are usually unbranched. Individual rosettes/crowns die after flowering (are monocarpic), but the clump lives on as do the pups.

In some forms, the rosette is set on top of an above-ground stem (caulescent).

Within this species there's considerable variation in how sharp and dangerous the leaf tips are.

We planted the dormant bare roots in the fall of 2014. They arrived with some blades already formed. I put this in an area that should...Read More stay dry.

So far, there's not been much growth, at least above ground. They survived the winter, but so far have not thrived. I have some flaccid leafed yucca that's not native to Iowa, so I hope these glaucas can bounce to life. With my natives, I hand pull the grasses around them not trusting others to avoid chopping the plants with the mower or trimmer. Yes, the blades are enough to cut your hand!

I was at a home showing with my realtor in New Franklin, PA when I saw a clump of three yuccas with narrow, grassy leaves and 1 to 2 ft t...Read Moreall trunks. I decided to head over here to ID them, and it looks like they are Y. glauca (Palm Bob's first pic is almost a dead ringer for them).

The garden they were growing in, like the house and much of the rest of the property, unfortunately, had been neglected for a number of years, but the Y. glauca was doing just fine! I decided not to buy the place (because the house was a dump), but I was half-tempted to take one of the Yucca plants. ;)

Therefore I'd say that they are quite hardy and seem to do fine with our typical not-so-well drained soils.

I have a soapweed yucca growing in my south-facing flowerbed. It seems to be doing well in the dry clay soil. Now in its second year, it'...Read Mores slow-growing and hasn't bloomed yet. I would expect it to take some time to get to an appreciable size, given our short summers and long, cold winters.