En garde with 'Color Guard' Yucca
Thrusting sabres. Clashing swords. Yellow-costumed fencers are dueling in my garden.
It can be a blood sport if you’re careless. But while Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ is armed with sharp spines, its leaves are fairly flexible, not stiff, and so less dangerous.
Brightly colored leaves promise year-round color, unlike flowers that come and go. In winter, the leaves take on pink tones.
Curling white “hairs” add to its beauty.
According to Plant Delights Nursery, ‘Color Guard’ yucca is hardy in zones 4-10 and grows into a 2-ft. tall and 3-ft. wide clump. I found mine at Barton Springs Nursery, where a staff member told me they’d just started carrying them. They were too beautiful to pass up, and I just hope they perform well here in Austin.
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam, I have one from Tony that’s been a little slow to get going size-wise, but it’s certainly fully hardy way up here in Connecticut. Your photos with back light are gorgeous.
Very pretty. If only I could get the husband to agree to cacti somewhere in the yard…but he won’t do it because he needs his precious grass which he complains about every time he has to mow it.
That’s a way cool “duel”.
I tried to find that yucca locally a few years ago, but brought home a blue one instead. I think the yellow echos yellow blooms so well.
Yucca is usually deer resistant. In winter 2009, my deer gave my yucca a Bart Simpson haircut. The yucca recovered completely. This year, they have left it alone. I do wonder what happened to the deer who ate the yucca! Could be on the Darwin list of stupid deer tricks.
Cameron
Let’s hope so, Cameron. It’s good to know yucca can recover from a crew cut though. —Pam
I have never seen this type of yucca…love the colors!
That’s my kind of plant. Hardy to zone 4- surely it will stand up to a cold winter in Texas; and so attractive too. Thanks for introducing us to this fine looking plant. We may all be rushing down to BSN tomorrow.
Give them a call first, Jenny. I grabbed all but one when I was there. Sorry! 🙂 —Pam
They are striking with the sunlight streaming over them. They remind me of the wicked Spanish Daggers I used to have that threatened anyone who went near them! En garde is right!
The leaves are fairly soft and flexible though, Diana, so they aren’t quite as threatening as Spanish dagger. —Pam
This is one of the best yuccas to come out in a while. It should be fairly easy to find now as more wholesalers are growing it. Oddly enough, I get mine from Houston.
Grew it the first time at the Riverbanks Botanical Garden in Columbia, SC. The first winter they turned that plum color on the inside. I was in love. It is a stunning selection of Yucca!
It looks great – your photos are especially striking.
This is a great one, Pam. It was you and your blog that opened the door to yuccas for our garden and Color Guard was added last year. It is the perfect evergreen foil to conifers and grasses with that gold accent color. The similar Golden Sword was added as well, holding up perfectly to this harsh winter in the blue pots.
Well, we’ve influenced each other then, Frances, because I started hankering for a bright yellow yucca after seeing pics of your ‘Golden Sword’ in those blue pots. —Pam
Wow, that is a beautiful Yucca. I am generally not a huge fan of Yuccas, but yours may change my mind :^)
Been wanting to try this one for years. Your photos (and a Conneticut testimonial) are the clinchers. Plant Delights, here I come (yet again).
Christine in Alaska
I like these Pam and they give that nice color that would go well in my garden…I just wish I had a really sunny spot for them~~Maybe when Hedge comes down…gail
I was just having a discussion with a Texan about whether yucca could grow up here. Thanks for the answer. The color and light in your photos is fantastic. Apologies for somehow deleting your comment from my blog. I don’t know what I did. Thanks for visiting my woods.
I didn’t even realize it happened, Commonweeder, but no worries. I’m sure I’ve lost a few along the way too. 🙂 —Pam
I just planted a yucca this weekend!
Great color Pam.
You need a steel band playing in the background, the smell of jerk chicken on the barbecue and a large piña colada to best appreciate this plant scene. Very tropical.
Lovely! I was hoping you’d let us know about them. They are certainly worth a try.
Pam. I love its colours, so much nicer than the boring all green Yuccas. I had a boring all green yucca as a houseplant for years. It started off in a tiny pot, eventually it was almost as tall as me. I had to leave it behind when we moved.
Almost bought one of those last year but got side tracked by other things. Perhaps I’ll do it this year. I love the pop of color they bring.
I love to impale migrating whooping cranes on them. (Nah–just kidding)
Pam, I’ve seen those in Plant Delights’ catalog. I think I might need one. Or two. No, three. Odd numbers, you know.