Yucca filamentosa Color Guard

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' is a very bright variety of Yucca filamentosa, with original and attractive variegated foliage all year round. Very hardy, standing on a powerful rootstock, it develops a basal rosette of large leaves with a tender yellow to cream central band, marginated with bright green and bordered by whitish filaments, less sharp than those of other varieties. Its flowering, usually in summer, reaches a height of 1.50m (4ft 11in), in the form of a large spike bearing large ivory white bells. It will be perfect in a rockery, on a slope, or in a pot on the terrace, from north to south of our country.

Yucca filamentosa is a plant of the Agave family originating from the northeast (Virginia) and southeast of the United States, spreading west to Louisiana. Generally without a trunk, it is a botanical species forming several stems that bear rosettes of long and narrow leaves, tapering at their ends. Its growth, rather slow at the beginning, reaches a cruising speed of 20 to 30cm (7.9 to 11.8in) per year. The 'Color Guard' variety develops rosettes of about 90cm (35.4in) in height, and variegated leaves bordered by the characteristic filaments of the species. Each rosette has about sixty leaves, 50 to 60cm (19.7 to 23.6in) long, rough, quite flexible, but ending in a small sharp spine. The floral stems appear in early summer, sometimes later or earlier depending on the climate, on plants several years old. The flowers, resembling tulips in size and shape, are white-cream in color and appear on a green and robust floral stem arranged in a paniculate manner. They are oriented downwards. The rosette dies after flowering, giving rise to the birth of other small juvenile rosettes at the base of the plant.

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard', hardy well beyond -15°C in well-drained soil and easy to grow, will thrive in any properly drained soil, even dry and poor or in arid conditions. It should be kept away from walkways and young children, due to its pointed leaves. This plant is ideal for structuring a large rockery, or for brilliantly occupying the centre of an exotic bed. It can be planted alone or associated with Puya caerulea on a dry slope, Agave americana, the prickly pear cactus, which are quite hardy (Cleistocactus strausii, Cylindropuntia imbricata), and  viper's bugloss from the Canary Islands, which are just as undemanding. It can also be placed in a very large pot on the terrace, right next to a banana tree or a Tetrapanax, choosing a carefully sheltered spot in full sun.

The flower petals are edible; they can be served as a garnish or prepared as fritters. The floral spike, before the appearance of the flowers, can also be cooked and consumed, similar to asparagus.