Yucca brevifolia is reportedly a rather particular species, being somewhat difficult to grow even in our dry, inland southern California climate (though the more inland you go, the easier and easier it gets). This plant does like some cold periods, likes it really dry in summers and really dislikes any sort of humidity. This may be why it is rarely if ever grown on the east coast. I have a non- jaegeriana form growing in my yard and it is slow but doing well so far over the last 5 years (now just under 2' tall)... but everyone is telling me it's gonna die. WE'll see.

Here is mine after 5 years in the planter box (maybe tripled its height... very slow!)

Here is Yucca brevifolia var jaegeriana about another 60 miles inland from me

And close up of one of those plants

I can tell you that I personally have NEVER seen nor heard of one of these growing anywhere in or near the east coast, or anywhere else east of the Mississippi for that matter. They are extremely particular about the humidity, and the east coast, even in its "driest" environs, is far too humid for these plants. I would suspect were this not true, that you would see alot more of them being grown in places other than where they naturally occur. If anyone out there is growing one of these with success (and I mean for many years on end, not just a few years to its death) on the east coast I sure would love to know about it!

lzrddr,
Thanks for the info.and pics.on these plants.If Y.brevifolia doesn't like humidity and var. jaegeriana is even harder to grow.What are some of the other types of Joshua Trees,and which one do you think would live here?We have very dry conditions in summer with temps 95*F and above from June through August and sometimes into September.We only have 2 months of winter really,January and February.Do you have any suggestions?

Butiaman,

You have really dry summers in GEORGIA??? I thought Georgia was just as humid as Virginia if not more so? You aren't that far west of Atlanta!!!! I gotta say I find it very hard to believe you are really that dry there. Are you in some kind of microclimate? Perhaps "dry" for you is only really slightly drier than everywhere else which is pretty darn humid? Just wondering because I've never heard anyone say they have a "dry" climate in terms of humidity anywhere on the east coast, even way up in New England. I know here in DC the summers, especially June thru Sept are usually oppressively humid with dewpoints often running in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Anyway, just curious.

KJ

KJ,
I wasn't saying that our humidity is a low as the Mojave Desert.We had some humid days this past summer,but not like it has been.I think I cut my grass maybe 5 times this past summer,it stayed brown practically all summer.Were in a drought period again,the last one lasted 5yrs.I have no problems with any other Yuccas I grow,they have never had any fungi's diseases or rot from our humidity or to much rain.I have one that is even putting up a bloom spike now.I didn't know if they would live here or not,that's why I started this post on them.There a Yucca and I grow 4 different kinds of Yuccas now,so I was wandering if they would also live here.I thought I knew what high humidity was till I went to Savanna,GA.It was so humid it was miserable.You never know what is possible until you try.Someone had to be the first person to try and grow palms with success in areas were you don't normally see them,like Douglasville,GA. :)
Randy

Ahhh ok. Drought is quite a bit different from an arid climate. I do recall seeing that NW Georgia has been in a rather severe drought for some time. Still, I don't think that climate is anything close to what could support Joshua Trees. We have TONS of Yuccas here in our area, and they do just fine as well in our humidity, including a few "tree" type, such as Y. Rostrata. I know of several that are 15+ feet tall and branching. They actually look a bit similar to Joshua trees when they branch, tho to me they are more graceful and have a slightly more tropical look. Ive seen some significant re bloom on Yuccas up here this fall as well. Probably because it got cold briefly, then warmed back up.

You could always just try and grow Y. brevifolia var jaegeriana, but I would expect it to die in the long term and not attain too much height. That way, if it DOES actually survive, you (and many aothers) will be pleasantly surprised. =o)

I still think that they are a long shot anywhere out east tho as they are VERY particular about their climate though, especially the need for extremely low humidity, and some very cold spells.

Are you looking for a yucca that grows into a tree? I have a y.filifera its supposed to be one of the fastest to grow to a tree. My yard is very humid all year around and it has had no problems. This is the only yucca I have growing in rich soil with no sand. The more I water it the faster it grows. Maybe this would be a yucca for you. Heres a link to a website below

Here is a link that might be useful: Yucca forum

i meant to show these a long time ago, these are from this past spring at my work, their all over my area. most are green but some can be very blue!

this is one of the more bluer ones! but can hard to see it, much more bluer in person.

Wow...love those pictures!!! Thanks James!!!

Hello Randy!!!

Hello Ken!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

Laura in VB

Thanks James,
It was great to see all those Joshua Trees.I like the blue looking ones the best.I wonder how old those big ones are?I hear there slow growing.What a great view you have at your job.I wanted to try and grow one here,but people said they wouldn't live here :(
Thanks also mike,
That forum is very educational.I have 4 different kind of Yuccas.I don't really know a lot about yuccas,a lady that lives down the street from me gave me 2 different ones I have.I think one is a Y.filamentosa,I know it as Variegated Adams Needle(color guard).One of the other ones is Y.gloriosa(Spanish Dagger).One is Y.aliofolia(Spanish Bayonet).The other one I have looks like Y.filifera(St.Peters Palm),but they never grow a trunk.They have been planted for five years this past August,they grow wild on the side of the Railroad tracks in the granite rocks.I've had several of these various Yuccas for awhile now.None of mine have the threads on them except the Filamentosas.
Thanks to everyone who gave me info.on Yuccas.I'm gonna have to study these plants more. :)

Butia, if you like Yuccas, you should add a Yucca recurvifolia to your collection. They are native to the southeast and are unlike the more desert varieties in putting up with East coast rain and humidity. They are hardy up to about 6b/7. They will form a trunk eventually. This past summer, someone throw out a massive one in the lawn debris at curbside. I grabbed it and threw it into an open trunk. I ended up dividing it up into three separate plants. Also, if you like the Joshua tree, you might want to check out Yucca rostrata. Compared to Joshua trees, they are much more commonly available in milder eastern zones.--Though they are NOT cheap. Also trunking and hardy to about 6b/7. And although common, the filifera is one terrific plant! WARNING!!--Collecting Yucca species is about as addictive as collecting palms!!

njoasis,
Thanks for the info.on two more Yuccas I can grow.There are so many different types that look almost identical to each other,unlike palms.I'm not really sure now exactly which ones I do have,LOL.I've been looking at pictures of Yuccas for several hours today trying to figure out which ones I do have.What in your opinion is the best website on different yuccas,one that has good descriptions and pictures?Maybe why I can tell what kind of palm I'm looking at is because I've been studying them for over 20yrs.I guess it just takes time and a lot of research to figure out which one is which.It's hard to tell from some of the pictures I've found.
Randy

If you want a good smattering of Yuccas, you can see a list of yuccas I uploaded onto Xericworld a few weeks ago:

http://www.xericworld.com/forums/agavaceae/1456-your-favorite-yucca.html

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! you guys are very welcome.

Butiaman, i have no idea how old they might be but theirs one down the street from my girlfriends house about 40ft... i read somewhere that they can grow 6" a year from seedling stage then 3" after they hit maturity. but from my examinations i seen some seedlings grow at lease a foot, so possibly 60-80 years! but i think the oldest ones eventually got blown over from severe winds followed b4 a drought cuz i always see tons of them knock to the floor. drought as in less then 2" a year for a few years cuz we only average 7" of rain a year. humidity might be a issue not during winter but summer. i get tons of humidity here up to 85% a few days ago but its always very cold and tonight its suppose to get to 21*F! are coldest temp so far & cold wouldnt be an issue either. probably cold hardy to 6b/7a.

Thanks everyone,
I like all those yuccas,I didn't realize there was so many different types and variegation's within each type.A lot of them are cheap but some like Y.rostratas are expensive.I looked on ebay but they don't have some of them I like the best.It's funny,I couldn't find Y.schottii in the U.S.on ebay but I went to the U.K.on ebay they have them.I would think you could find them here easier,since there native to the Southwest U.S.What is the best places that sells various yuccas here in the U.S.?
Randy