Yucca French Flag

Yucca 'French Flag' is a recent variety that will bring exoticism to regions with cold climates. Not only is this hybrid extremely hardy, but it is also extremely ornamental. It grows rather quickly and forms a superb crown of true blue, which is eye-catching in the garden. Its flexible foliage is not very prickly and not dangerous, and it reaches maturity fairly quickly, offering a beautiful spring flowering with long white spikes. This gem is easy to grow anywhere, tolerating humidity and dry conditions, and can also be grown in a pot.

Yucca was previously classified in the Agavaceae family, which is now included, along with six other closely related families, in the Asparagaceae family, which includes about 120 genera and 2900 species. There are about forty species of Yucca, native to North and Central America.
The 'French Flag' variety was obtained in 2016 by the Frenchman Frédéric Julien by crossing Yucca rostrata and Yucca filamentosa. Y. rostrata, native to the southwest United States and Mexico, is a magnificent plant with a bluish appearance, narrow, stiff foliage, and very sharp pointed ends. It grows slowly and eventually forms a trunk that supports the rosette of leaves. Y. filamentosa, found naturally from South Carolina to Florida, forms imposing clumps of large, wide, flexible leaves with filamentous edges, producing a spectacular summer flowering in the form of long white bell-shaped flowers.
'French Flag' has taken the best from both parents, with a personal touch added. This Yucca is particularly attractive due to the blue of its foliage, even more intense than that of Y. rostrata. The leaves have a texture similar to Y. filamentosa, they are flexible, relatively wide (intermediate between the two botanical species), and not very prickly, in any case, not dangerous. The plant forms a sculptural, spherical head of about 1m in diameter. It grows faster than Y. rostrata and forms a short trunk, reaching a height of 1.50m. It also blooms more quickly than Y. rostrata, inspired in this by Y. filamentosa. In May-June, red buds open into white flowers gathered in large floral spikes, further enhancing the ornamental interest of the plant.
Easy to grow, 'French Flag' obviously withstands dry conditions very well, while tolerating humidity better than other varieties, and displays remarkable hardiness, down to -23°C! It can therefore be planted almost anywhere and is also suitable for container cultivation.

Yucca 'French Flag' is a little gem that will delight exotic plant enthusiasts, who can create an exotic scene in their garden, even far from southern regions. Combine it with other distinctive plants such as Hesperaloe parviflora, mistakenly called Red Yucca due to its clump of tough leaves that can be confused with this genus. This sturdy and hardy perennial produces a dazzling coral red flowering during the summer, which will perfectly complement the blue vegetation of your Yucca 'French Flag'. If you don't mind the thorns, plant some hardy cacti alongside them, such as Opuntia phaecantha 'Moyavensis', with its grey-blue pads that are so evocative of desert regions. Cylindropuntia imbricata, with its cylindrical segments, has a completely different appearance and also boasts a fiercely exotic silhouette that will enrich your flower bed. Add some mineral elements, such as raw-looking stones, between which you can plant some Sedum or even Joubarbes (Sempervivum), and the change of scenery will be complete...