The appeal of yuccas

Christopher Lloyd takes a look at these bold evergreens with their spectacular exotic foliage and flowers

YIUCCAS have an irresistible appeal to British gardeners because they look exotic and tropical and yet are, some of them at least, hardy. They are bold-looking evergreens, more or less shrubby, and the kind of plant that is referred to as architectural. They look right in a formal setting or with agaves and palms by the sea, but wrong when in the Englishness of the countryside, with soft lines and fresh colouring. At their worst, yuccas look dark, dirty and depressing, especially near a rain-swept beach in the depths of winter. At their best they are spectacularly exciting.

These plants are at their best when they are flowering. Their waxy white bells are carried on hefty branching spikes that open over a considerable period, so you may enjoy them at any time from midsummer to late autumn.

Furthermore, yuccas, when suited, flower regularly, and not every seven or 100 years as one sometimes hears. However, at other times, species with a reputation for freedom of flowering refuse to do so at all and everybody can tell you why but all give different reasons. I know of yuccas that flower unfailingly each summer in north-west Scotland where the annual rainfall is 2m (80in) and the sun only shines fitfully, and in deepest Yorkshire where the winters are often cold, so you will never know your luck until you try growing them.

Stiff pointed leaves

The largest, most exciting and dangerous of the hardy species is the Adam's needle, Yucca gloriosa. We used to have four large groups at the four corners of our formal sunken garden. They flourished and flowered every year, but their leaves are stiff and each is terminated by a sharp point so my mother was terrified that her children might poke their eyes out.