Our most successful Yucca aloifolias

[seedscanada]

Here you see Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea', AKA Yucca desmetiana 'Blue Boy' purchased and planted this May, good growth (green growth). It looks very tender compared to the variegated aloifolia and has leaves shaped more like recurvifolia (maybe the the desmetiana designation is more true??)
Anyone else growing this?...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seedscanada/9638802710/" title="Yucca aloifolia purpurea 185 by seedscanada, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/9638 ... c0b8_c.jpg" width="800" height="449" alt="Yucca aloifolia purpurea 185"></a>

To its right is Y. aloifolia variegata, planted in June of 2011, purchased in a 4" pot...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seedscanada/9638806808/" title="Yucca aloifolia purpurea 183 by seedscanada, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/9638 ... 3bae_c.jpg" width="800" height="449" alt="Yucca aloifolia purpurea 183"></a>
again..
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seedscanada/9638801416/" title="Yucca aloifolia variegata 186 by seedscanada, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9638 ... 1578_c.jpg" width="800" height="449" alt="Yucca aloifolia variegata 186"></a>
Protected this bed with a winter-long glass enclosure. Also in this bed are: Yuccas: brevifolia, schottii, thompsoniana, torrei, Punica granatum and Butia capitata
Thanks for looking!

[DesertZone]

They both look great! But I think I like the aloifolia 'purpurea' the most. I have tried they aloifolia veriegata, but froze even though I had it covered. But I see yours look amazing.

[andym]

I have both. Yucca Aloifolia "Purpurea" and Variegata/ Marginata whichever. The Variegata had been fine since planting in 2010 but last Winter was weird. Lashings of rain and cold spells mixed with mild spells. Then that long dry cold spell until the end of May and into June. It lost its head to rot as nearly did the standard Aloifolia
Yucca Aloifolia "Purpurea"

Yucca Aloifolia Variegata


There are so many new shoots, I'm not sure how they are going to be supported.

[TimMAz6]

Good luck growing Y. aloifolia cultivars up in Canada......I never had any luck here in Massachusetts as all die in their first season. I also tried a Y. desmetiana and it died in it's first winter. Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea' and Yucca desmetiana are two different plants (as far as I understand it). It sure looks like Andy has a Y. desmetiana. I think Adam's is Y. desmetiana too but not 100% positive. If you do a search of Y. aloifolia 'purpurea' you will see photos of Y. desmetiana which really confuses the ID issue.

The original description: Yucca aloifolia purpurea, Baker, Journal Linn. Society Bot. 18:221, 1880.........is described as a purple leaf garden form (purplish tinged) which has a glabrous (smooth) bloom panicle (stem).

Y. desmetiana DOES NOT BLOOM; therefore, cannot be Y. aloifolia purpurea since these have glabrous panicles.

Y. aloifolia 'Purpurea' is a purple leafed aloifolia like this:
<img src=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_r4Klv8u2tgU/S ... olia+3.jpg>

The original description: Yucca De Smetiana, Baker, Gard., Chron. 1870:1217, Journal Linn. Soc. Bot. 18:222......is described as a garden plant ascribed to Mexico, which when small is very suggestive in appearance of a lily because of its crowded arching not at all concave leaves: quite unlike any other Yucca, and perhaps not this genus. No positive record exists of this source of the plants of this species cultivated at the Missouri Botanical Garden, but they are beleived to have come from Northern Mexico many years ago through Dr. Parry.

This is a Y. desmetiana
<img src=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7359 ... f918_z.jpg>

[TimMAz6]

Here's the plate showing the 'real' Y. desmetiana.

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... ae4f4f.jpg>

[seedscanada]

Andy, nice yuccas you have there!

Tim, I agree with you.
Andy and I seem to have Y. desmetiana, which really is unlike any other yucca, maybe a different genus.
Thanks for the research!

[Benny, Northern Denmark]

Indeed some very nice Yuccas shown in this thread.

Yucca De Smetiana, Baker is as I understand it a a sport or clone of Yucca aloifolia which continues to grow juvenile leaves, and because this form never grow mature growth it can not bloom either. Those of you whom had tried growing Yucca aloifolia from seeds, will see, that the leaves on the Yucca De Smetiana shown on photos in this thread is indeed juvenile in form.

I have killed enough Yucca aloifolia to try any more of them Well we have three different in pots; a normal green one, a variegata (marginata) and a tricolor, they are all wintering in an almost frostfree porch. But even here they occasionally freezes back to the rhizomes!

Any pollen from Yucca aloifolia is always welcome, maybe it's possible to make an aloifolia alike hybrid which is hardy enough.

Have a nice day.

Benny

[TimMAz6]

I will plant a couple aloifolias into the garden next spring and will protect them in winter. It would be great to get some pollen from them to make some interesting hybrids

[Henoh_Croatia]

I have regular one which frosted to the ground level in winter 2011/12 and resprouted from base in next season. Last winter offsprings doesn't have problems with winter on their new position in garden


Seedling that survived winter 2011/12 (cca 0F or -18 C)


'variegata' first year in ground

[araliaman]

Hi Benny,
There is one report about the bloom of Yucca desmettiana in Portugal , in the garden of Sintra in the past century. Into my opinion , regarding the description, the flower seems to be similar to the typical Yucca aloifolia.