From 'Magenta Magic' to 'Bright Star': four garden-worthy yuccas

Yuccas are signature plants of the American deserts—just think of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) in the Mojave Desert, the soaptree yucca (Yucca elata) in the Sonoran Desert, and the beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata) in the Chihuahuan Desert. Yuccas are also found across a wide swath of the southeastern US, including species such as Yucca filamentosa, Yucca aloifolia, and Yucca gloriosa. 

Thanks to their ease of cultivation and cold tolerance (some species are hardy to -20°F), yuccas are popular garden subjects, although they're still not grown as widely as they should. Maybe that's because they're perceived to be “unfriendly” or “dangerous” the way agaves often are? True, many yuccas have stiff leaves and sharp terminal spines, but others (like the floppy Yucca filamentosa and Yucca recurvifolia and its cultivars) are regular cuddle bunnies.

When I was at Green Acres Nursery in Sacramento recently, I noticed that they had lined up pairs of similar-looking yucca cultivars right next to each other: 'Blue Boy' and 'Magenta Magic', both with purple leaves; and 'Bright Star' and 'Color Guard', both striking variegates. 

LEFT: Yucca 'Blue Boy'  RIGHT: Yucca 'Magenta Magic'

Yucca 'Blue Boy' is often listed as a form or hybrid of Yucca desmetiana, a northern Mexican species, but it's actually a purple-leafed dwarf form of Yucca aloifolia, which is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States. The species grows a trunk 5 to 20 ft. in height but often topples over. 'Blue Boy' does, too—much to the annoyance of many a gardener. Personally, I quite like the look of the stems crawling along the ground (see here). Yucca 'Blue Boy' is hardy to 10°F (zone 8).

Note: 'Blue Boy' needs full sun to retain its purple coloration. In too much shade, it turns green.

Yucca 'Magenta Magic' was discovered at Briggs Nursery, a wholesale grower in western Washington, in a batch of tissue-cultured 'Blue Boy'. Its a purple-leafed dwarf form of Yucca aloifolia, expected to top out at a height of 2 ft. It started to appear in nurseries a couple of years ago and is being touted as remaining upright, in contrast to the flop-prone 'Blue Boy'. Like 'Blue Boy' it needs strong light to retain its purple color.

LEFT: Yucca 'Bright Star'  RIGHT: Yucca 'Color Guard'

Yucca 'Bright Star' is variegated sport of Yucca gloriosa (or possibly Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia, now considered Yucca gloriosa var. tristis) discovered in a nursery in the UK in 2000. The species is found in the southeastern United States and is hardy to 0°F (zone 7). 'Bright Star' is much smaller than the species, growing to 2 ft. in height and 5 ft. in width vs. 6 ft. × 8 ft. for the species.

Yucca 'Color Guard' is a variegated form of Yucca filamentosa with green leaf margins and creamy centers. Another form, 'Bright Edge', has the reverse pattern: creamy margins and green centers.  Native to the southeastern US, the species has impressive cold tolerance, down to -20°F (zone 5). The variegated sports are considered dwarf forms, growing to 2-3 ft. in height and width vs. up to 8 ft. × 5 ft. for the species.

Note: Both 'Bright Star' and 'Color Guard' take on pink hues during the colder months. As you can see in the photo of 'Bright Star' above, the effect is nothing short of spectacular.

We have all four of these yuccas growing in our garden:

LEFT: Yucca 'Blue Boy'  RIGHT: Yucca 'Magenta Magic'

LEFT: Yucca 'Bright Star'  RIGHT: Yucca 'Color Guard'

Only 'Bright Star' is in a really good spot, and it shows. 'Color Guard' is being invaded (and shaded) by the slowly expanding clump Oldham's bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii); it's putting up a valiant fight but hasn't flowered in years.

The other two are in too much shade. 'Blue Boy' is still in a small plastic pot and needs to be planted out. 'Magenta Magic' is a plain green because it's tucked away behind a Grevillea 'King's Celebration'; I will move it in the spring to a sunnier location. For comparison, this is what our 'Magenta Magic' looked like when I bought it at Annie's Annuals this past April.

Given a sunny spot, though, all four of these yuccas will shine.

© Gerhard Bock, 2021. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.