Yucca - failure and success

[AdamD]

Yours look lovely Steve.

Over the years I have tried thompsoniana, linearifolia, carnerosana, rostrata, gloriosa, aloifolia and recurvifolia.

All of them have died due to the cold and/or wet.

The most successful was my linearifolia as it survived 3.5 years in the ground.

I currently have a recurvifolia, but it is looking a bit yellow.

Scotland isn't Yucca country :(

[Frank]

Did your yuccas have any rain cover Adam? I suspect it may have been the wet rather than cold that did them in. What were they planted in, raised free draining bed or straight into ground with heavy rich soil? Assume all plants were rooted and didn't lose them when planting as they can be fragile. Then again I don't know what your min temps were over the last 2 winters.

Suggest you spend lots more money on new plants, make a few changes and report back ;) :lol:

[AdamD]

Did your yuccas have any rain cover Adam? I suspect it may have been the wet rather than cold that did them in. What were they planted in, raised free draining bed or straight into ground with heavy rich soil? Assume all plants were rooted and didn't lose them when planting as they can be fragile. Then again I don't know what your min temps were over the last 2 winters.

Suggest you spend lots more money on new plants, make a few changes and report back ;) :lol:

Frank,

Yes, you are right, I think that it was the wet that did them in rather than the cold (mind you Dec 09 and Dec 10 were exceptionally cold for a long time with snow on the ground for 4 weeks during the first winter and 6 weeks the second winter).

They were planted in the most suitable locations in the garden, but the weather has been very wet over the last few years and even with rain covers over them I reckon they would have still drowned as everything in the garden has been thoroughly drenched. The only thing that would have saved them would have been to dig them out and keep them dry in pots. Oh well, you live and learn :)