Tell me about the yucca plant, please

The yucca is a succulent, tree-like plant native to southern North America, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean - in other words, the hot bits! It thrives in drought and blossoms with creamy clusters of flowers. And in living rooms up and down the land.

So why do people love them

The flowers are lovely. Also, and this is a real bonus for people without green fingers, the Yucca thrives without human intervention. Forgetting to water it won't harm your Yucca - in fact, the danger comes when you water it too much!

And why might people hate them

It's not a question of 'might' -- lots of people regard their outdoor Yuccas as a nightmare! Want to remove your Yucca Good luck! Dig up the plant and as many roots as you can find, cross your fingers and wait until the following summer, or maybe even the one after that. Sure enough, most people find their Yucca has survived. The stems re-appear through your fresh bed of new flowers or plants.

Various treatments are suggested -- from fire to gasoline to weedkiller to machetes -- just be careful if poisoning the Yucca that you don't infect nearby plants. Especially if the Yuccas have reappeared in your new vegetable garden! Note that spraying the leaves appears to have no effect - go for the new blooms instead.

The spiky leaves will draw blood if you're not careful. Families with small children should therefore consider carefully whether or not to plant them.

Any hints on planting them

Outdoors - they need well-drained soil (definitely no clay) and they need either full, direct sunlight or light shade. And that's it. Water well after planting and sporadically thereafter. Then... you can just leave the plant to get on with it from now on (until you want to either trim or remove it - see below!). Cold European winters might be a problem but horticultural insulation will protect against frost.

Take care when planting your Yucca - you'll need to be able to get close to your plant every year to thin it and the roots out. Planting delicate or prickly plants too close could lead to tears in future years. Plants that do complement the harder, sharper Yucca might include tiger lilies, artemestia or the sweet fern.

Indoors - firstly, make sure you don't over-water your propagating Yucca - it won't thank you! You can grow from seed but most gardeners prefer a trimmed root cutting planted in cutting compost during the winter. Leave it on a warm, sunny window-sill to thrive.

Answerbank contributor steve_nova says: "Most Yucca plants will produce offsets (sideshoots) often from the base of the plant. These will often have small roots near the base especially if the shoot emerged from under the soil. These can be seperated with a sharp knife as close to the mother plant as possible. Don't overwater at first! In the unlikely event of seed pods developing on a lone plant (most types I believe are self sterile) and assuming the seed is viable, the seed pod should split open naturally to release the seeds which can then be sown in a suitable seed compost in a propagator."

My Yucca is too big for our house!

Indoors or out, a happy Yucca will probably outgrow you at some point. This is what Answerbank superstar Incitatus recommends for cutting down an indoor Yucca: "Root it on the stem. Wrap some damp moss and clingfilm round the stem halfway down. The plant will root into this, then cut it off from the root and pot it on. The root may sprout as well, giving you two plants."

It all sounds like too much trouble.

For the most part, care of an indoor Yucca is limited to occasional watering and sporadic cleaning of the leaves - easy. Looking for alternatives to Yuccas after all that If planting outside, try Rose Campion, sages or herbs. If selecting an indoor plant... well, why not buy a nice colourful painting instead!

Yukka or Yucca
Yucca!