Yucca 'Color Guard' is a standout evergreen perennial featuring sword shaped leaves with bright golden yellow centers and green margins, often tinged pink in winter. Showy white flower spikes rise in summer providing vertical drama and pollinator support.
Height & Spread: 18 - 24 in x 24 - 36 in (flower spike to 4 - 5 ft tall)
Bloom Time: Summer
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Well drained, sandy or rocky soils; tolerant of drought and heat
Watering Needs: Low; thrives in dry conditions once established
Deer Resistance: Highly deer resistant due to stiff, fibrous leaves
Native Status
This variegated cultivar originates from Yucca filamentosa, a species native to the southeastern U.S., and is well adapted for dry gardens, coastal landscapes, and wildlife friendly plantings.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Moths
- Supports the Yucca Moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), which exclusively pollinates and relies on Yucca flowers for reproduction.
Bees
- Visited by native bees that forage on its tall flower stalks during summer bloom.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 24 - 36 in apart to showcase the rosettes and ensure good airflow in hot, dry climates.
Landscape Placement
- Ideal for sunny borders, dry slopes, rock gardens, or as a striking specimen in xeric and coastal plantings. Its foliage color persists through winter, providing year round interest.
Companion Plants
- Salvia greggii (Autumn Sage) - Offers continuous color and attracts pollinators in similar dry conditions.
- Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' - Adds feathery foliage and golden blooms that echo the yellow in Yucca leaves.
- Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower) - Provides long lasting blooms and heat tolerance beside Yucca.
- Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) - Contributes fine texture and clustered blooms that complement the bold Yucca form.
- Calamintha nepeta (Calamint) - Delivers clouds of soft white flowers and a pleasant scent that attract bees and beneficial insects.