The Red Yucca, otherwise known as the Hesperaloe Parviflora or Redflower False Yucca, Red Yucca, Coral Yucca, Hummingbird Yucca, Yucca parviflora, is a somewhat well known cactus/succulent plant native to the Southwest of the United States.
Best known for its low maintenance and moderate growth, this cactus/succulent will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green-colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Red Yucca Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
The fundamental caring guidelines for every Red Yucca can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The Red Yucca needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
- Light: Keep your Hesperaloe Parviflora in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Red Yucca in soil with well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand and loam.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Red Yucca this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Red Yucca belongs to the Asparagaceae family, the genus Hesperaloe and the species Parviflora, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Hesperaloe Parviflora (hess-per-AL-oh par-VEE-flor-uh).
As with other Hesperaloe’s, the Red Yucca is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
The Red Yucca is a plant native to Texas and Mexico and Coahuila. This is why the Hesperaloe Parviflora is used to growing in specific regions such as the states in the Southwest of the United States.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Red Yucca is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Hesperaloe Parviflora will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 6a, 6b, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10b, 10a and the ideal climate zone is between 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Red Yucca is a relatively moderate grower, which makes things somewhat easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Red Yucca? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Hesperaloe Parviflora can grow up to 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm) in 3′ – 5′ (90cm – 150cm) and 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm) in 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm).
These dimensions make the Red Yucca a relatively large cactus/succulent compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 60″ – 72″ (150cm – 180cm) free so the Red Yucca can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the Red Yucca is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Hesperaloe Parviflora needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively low needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Red Yucca in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, occasionally dry, and very dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Red Yucca then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Red Yucca needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Red Yucca prefers to have soil with good drainage, occasionally dry, and very dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand and loam.
This is why most experts agree that the Red Yucca requires soil with loam (silt), sand, and shallow rocky, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Red Yucca requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this cactus/succulent will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Hesperaloe Parviflora in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Red Yucca will be present year round in your garden. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Red Yucca to flower around the spring and in the summer months from April to June (spring), and from July to September (summer).
In particular, this cactus/succulent is well known for its repeat flowering and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Red Yucca produces some beautiful pink, gold/yellow and red/burgundy flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Red Yucca have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a rosulate organization in its leaves. You can expect the leaves from your Hesperaloe Parviflora to be around (> 6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Red Yucca is well known for being able to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for dry soil and drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Hesperaloe Parviflora will be fine.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Red Yucca will look best in it.
Most Hesperaloe Parviflora owners agree that this cactus/succulent will look great in most rustic, contemporary mediterranean, and xeric gardens of all types. Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, city and courtyard, and in mediterranean garden styles.
In particular, the Red Yucca’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, and in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a coastal exposure, urban garden, border, container, or a wildlife garden.
Companion Plants
Red Yucca’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Caesalpinia, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Sempervivum will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Red Yucca to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
