You want the yucca that grows best in Australia. Yucca is often expensive to buy, and choosing the right one for your area helps ensure it will grow and flourish. Also, since yucca is not native to Australia, it will surely be an eye-catcher in your garden.
The spineless yucca is the best yucca to grow in Australia because it grows faster than other types. In addition, the Australian climate and soil are advantageous to those who wish to grow yucca. As a result, most yucca varieties will thrive in Australia.
Whether you want to grow yucca as a container plant or grow yucca as an outdoor garden plant, Australia is an excellent place to do so. This article will explore the best yucca to grow in Australia.
What is the Most Popular Yucca in Australia?
The most popular type of yucca grown in Australia is Elephantipes. This yucca is more commonly known as spineless yucca because it does not have the stiff leaves and sharp spines that other varieties have. There are many varieties of yucca that grow well in Australia.
One of the most popular types of yucca to grow in Australia is Elephantipes yucca. In Australia, this yucca is known as Hard Yakka and is often grown in the suburbs. This spineless yucca can easily be grown in pots or the garden.
The Australian variation of the word yucca is yakka. The garden variety favorite is known as Hard Yakka, which also happens to be the name of a popular Australian clothing line. Hard Yakka means hard work or a hard worker.
The Elephantipes yucca or yucca Gigantea is a hardy garden addition that is extremely easy to grow from cuttings. It is desired for its sculptural look and admired for its ability to grow in the harshest environments.
At eight to ten years of age, this tree-like, branching yucca will swell, causing the base of the plant to resemble an elephant’s foot. Large panicles of creamy white flowers will develop on mature plants in the summer and fall.
Elephantipes is the fastest growing yucca and can grow up to two feet in a year. In Mexico, its native environment, it is possible for this plant to grow to 9 meters. However, it will probably be shorter in a cultivated setting. If it is grown in a container, you should expect it to reach a height of 1.5 meters.
Though the Elephantipes yucca is chosen the most, it is not the only popular yucca grown in Australia. So let’s take a look at some other yucca varieties that are time tested favorites in Aussie urban gardens.
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Can I Grow Adam’s Needle Yucca in Australia?
Adam’s Needle, also known as Yucca Filamentosa, grows nicely in Australia. This yucca grows in well-drained sandy or rocky soils. It is also wind and salt tolerant making it an ideal yucca to grow in coastal areas.
Adam’s Needle yucca has beautiful rosettes of rigid leaves that are sword-like in appearance.
- Adam’s Needle has dark green leaves and creamy white flowers
- Color Guard Adam’s Needle has variegated leaves that are yellow in the middle of the leaf and green on the outer part.
- Excalibur filamentosa produces lovely silverish blue leaves.
This yucca will surely add some colorful pizzaz to your garden no matter which type you choose. It is easy to grow Yucca Filamentosa, and they are suitable for most Australian environments, even those that get cold. Just avoid planting it in wet and boggy areas.
In the Australian garden, you can expect Adam’s Needle to grow to a height of 1.5 meters. It will produce glorious flower blooms from late spring and into the summer. If your Adam’s Needle is grown from seed it could take more than four years before it matures and blooms.
The flowers grow on a 3.5 meter spike above the yucca’s leaves. They are large and waxy in texture. These creamy colored flowers will droop toward the ground during the day. At night the blossoms turn toward the sky and produce a lovely scent to entice the yucca moth to pollinate it.
Do Beaked Yucca Grow in Australia?
A favorite in Australia and many other places, the Beaked Yucca or Rostrata is a showstopper. It has a thick trunk-like stem with a pompom of silvery blue-green leaves on top. Hundreds of white cup shaped flowers appear on the Beaked yucca in the summer months.
Yucca Rostrata, or Beaked Yucca, adds colorful variety to the garden. This is a wonderful yucca for high-traffic areas. Even though the beaked yucca leaf does have a sharp tip, the leaves are not as rigid as most yuccas. This makes them a bit safer for pets and children.
The yucca rostrata can grow to 5 meters in height with a 3 meter spread. This yucca is somewhat slow to grow and will reach its mature height in about ten years. These plants are drought tolerant and can survive temps of 23 degrees below celsius! They will survive hot, dry summers and cold winters.
As it grows, this whimsical yucca is reminiscent of a person wearing a grass skirt. It is a fun and beautiful plant that does very well in Australia.
How Big do Yuccas Get in Australia?
Small yucca varieties such as the Dwarf yucca will only grow to a meter in height. Tree-like yucca, such as the Yucca Filifera, will reach heights of 12 meters. Yucca varieties can be found in all sizes up to 15 meters.
Yucca Glauca, also known as the dwarf yucca or soap root yucca, is one of the smallest yucca varieties you can find. Its leaves are thin and stiff. When it blooms, the spire will grow another 2 meters above the plant and produce beautiful white flowers.
Yucca Filifera is also known as yucca australis. It can grow to heights of 12 meters within 50 years. In rare instances, it is possible for this yucca to gain a height of 15 meters. It is a tree-like, branching yucca that resembles the iconic Joshua Tree yucca. Yucca Filifera produces dangling flower spikes in the summer months.
With such a wide variety of yucca that can grow in Australia, landscaping can become an adventure of:
- Size
- Texture
- Color
Many variations are available to you from this beautiful succulent.
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Yucca Grows Well in Australia
If you want to grow yucca in Australia, you will not be disappointed. Yucca varieties grown in other places thrive in the Australian garden beds. The only difficulty will be in choosing the yucca you wish to grow.
As with all yucca, even those considered spineless, use caution when gardening and protect your eyes and ears from accidental pokes and scratches. Plant your yucca in areas that are sandy or rocky and receive abundant of sunshine.
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