LIGHT: Full sun
WATER: Once established, water if very dry.
SIZE: Can reach 8 to 10 ft. tall, 3 to 4 ft. wide in 10 years; 12 to 15 ft. tall with age in ideal conditions.
| Description | Striking, narrow, stiff, baby blue leaves are shorter than others of the species and form a dense crown atop an elegant single trunk. Use as a bold architectural element in containers or waterwise borders. A showy spike of white flowers emerges at maturity. Evergreen. |
|---|---|
| Bloom Time | Blooms at full maturity, in summer. |
| Deciduous/Evergreen | Evergreen |
| Special Features | Dramatic Foliage Color, Easy Care, Waterwise, Heat Loving |
| Problems/Solutions | Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Drought Tolerant |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Growth Habit | Upright |
| Flower Attributes | Showy Flowers |
| Landscape Use | Container |
| Flower Color | White |
| Foliage Color | Blue-green |
| Companion Plants | Aloe (Aloe); Yarrow (Achillea); Tickseed (Coreopsis); Echeveria (Echeveria); Red Yucca (Hesperaloe) |
| Care Instructions | Thrives in average to lean, well-drained soil, with an alkaline pH. Water deeply, regularly during first few growing seasons to establish root system, allowing soil to dry slightly between intervals. Once established, reduce frequency; tolerates drought. Fertilize sparingly and prune away old, unsightly foliage in early spring. |
| History | This outstanding selection of Yucca rostrata comes from plantsman Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery in Portland, Oregon. This favorite species is hard to find in nature and can be quite variable in color and form. Plants collected in the wild left environmental voids and often had low survival rates. In a high-elevation valley in Chihuahua, Texas, plants exhibiting exceptional blue form and apparent hardiness to cold and moisture were found, from which seeds were collected. From the resulting seedlings, after approximately five years of evaluation, a single plant with the highest vigor and best form and color was selected. This original plant, named Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’, is now over ten feet tall, having been successfully transplanted into the garden at Rancho Cistus on Portland’s Sauvie Island in 2019. |




