Adams Needle Yucca

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2 Feet

Mature Spread

3-4 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 10

Modern gardens demand a modern plant. Excalibur Yucca is a new variation on the traditional Adam’s Needle Yucca. Excalibur is slightly smaller in size with a more uniform ball shape. The gorgeous, dense leaves are a deep blue-green and have curly white filament growths that help to give the overall look of the plant a lightness. Make no mistake, the leaves are spiny and maybe on the dangerous side. Maybe that’s why it's so attractive? It is also attractive to butterflies and to hummingbirds when in full bloom. The plant is very similar to an agave plant and actually in the same plant family.

Yucca filamentosa is the quintessential no maintenance plant. It needs no fertilizing. Prefers a very dry site that has good drainage year round. Especially in the colder ends of the hardiness zone. Anyone from zone 4-10 can enjoy growing this southeastern American native. The giant flowers bloom in the summer and are quite long lasting. The ideal situation for Excalibur is as a single specimen. With a little imagination and the right sight, 3 or 5 of theses yuccas planted together would be very dramatic. Excalibur Yucca lends itself to more modern garden spaces and is a good accent to ornamental grasses. 

Adams Needle Yucca Care

Watering is only needed if the spring or summer is extremely hot and/or dry. The large fleshy leaves act as storage for most of the moisture this plant needs. Fertilizer is rarely needed for Yucca plants. The soil they prefer is on the lean side, in both fertility and texture. This plant honestly likes the rockiest and sandiest soil you can give it.

The best part of Yucca filamentosa is that there is no pruning or annual clean up required. The only maintenance is to remove the bloom stem after it has died back. Gardeners in the colder hardiness zones will need to make sure that the soil is very well drained and maybe mulch around the outside of the plant to insulate from the snow. Mulch needs to be kept out of the crown of this plant to prevent rotting during the cold months.

Adams Needle Yucca Spacing 

Even Though this variety of Yucca is smaller, it still has a large spread of 3-4 feet. When planting with other plants in a garden bed give all plants a space of 3-4 feet. If other perennials are placed too close to Yucca, you will have to be very careful cutting them back. Leaving enough room to maneuver around the spiny leaves is very important.