My yucca plants have been blooming for a couple of weeks now. These are also known as “Spanish Bayonets”. They sure are pretty, and are striking even when not in bloom. I’m a little leery of them though, they seem to be spreading faster and growing larger than I thought they would.
The edges of the tough, sword shaped blades on these plants are so sharp, that they are dangerous. (Click photos to enlarge) They need to be planted somewhere away from patios or areas where you walk around. I have mine planted on a hot, dry bank above the side yard and pool, along with some cacti plants, still in sight but out of reach.
An interesting note about yucca plants, according to wikipedia: they have a very specialized pollination system, being pollinated by the yucca moth; the insect purposefully transfers the pollen from the stamens of one plant to the stigma of another, and at the same time lays an egg in the flower; the moth larva then eats some of the developing seeds.
i have the spanish bayonets in my front yard and they are about 7 or 8 years old and now they are not looking well…they have black spots on them..my husband says it is to much water from all the rain we have had this year..what do u think? i tried to trim them back, but it to hard to do…joann
Joann, it could be the rain. I know they prefer hot and dry. The lower blades will die off though, and yes they are hard to trim. I always just tried to pull off the dried up blades. Be careful though.
I wouldn’t worry too much about them, yuccas are about impossible to kill. :)
Where can I get the Yucca Spanish Bayonets?? When is the best time to plant them?
Melanie, I’m sorry but I don’t know. You might try a search at davesgarden.com.
http://terra4incognita.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/yucca-plants-w/#comment-form-guest
when they bloom and leave green bulbs can you plant those bulbs and get yucca plants
when the yucca blooms it leaves green bulbs, can you plant the bulbs and get yuccas?
Hi Rob,
Yes. Those pods are full of black seeds. I would pull them just when they are drying and starting to crack open, remove the seeds and when you get ready to plant them, soak overnight in water and then plant them shallow and pat down the soil well over them. They probably take a few weeks to germinate. (If you[‘ve already pulled off the pods, leave them in the sun somewhere until they dry and they may still form seeds.)
Hope this helps,
Sherry
when you say they are almost impossible to kill, you aint kidding. I tried to cut them down because I really don’t like them and they are going strong still. and have put out flowers the last 3 years.
Hello Anonymous,
Yep, yucca are impossible to kill.. lol. We’ve had some we’ve been trying to get rid of for years. My husband even dug up a huge clump of them and burned them to black ash. Believe it or now, they SPROUTED from the burnt sections of roots! lol
Good luck in getting rid of yours :)
-Sherry
My neighbour gave me a plant and I cut the long stem that had the dried flowers on it. Would it still bloom or have I ruined it. Would appreciate your feedback. Thank you
Merle
Hi Merle,
Do you mean that you clipped off last year’s flower stalk with the dried seed pods on it? If so, no you didn’t ruin it, it should bloom again this spring.
Hope this helps,
Sherry
Will other pollinators pollinate the yucca flowers in addition to the Yucca Moth?
Will two yucca plants be required for cross pollination between the two via a Yucca Moth?
I live in SW Ohio and I don’t think we have Yucca Moths here.