Banana yucca (Yucca baccata)

Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) is a shrub that can grow 1.5m – 3m tall and 1.5m – 3m wide. In this growing guide we’ll learn the cultivation details and how to plant Banana yucca (Yucca baccata).

This plant has several common names including: banana yucca, blue yucca, datil or Spanish bayonet.

This is a evergreen plant that takes 10-20 years to reach full maturity.

Plant profile

Common name: banana yucca, blue yucca, datil, Spanish bayonet
Scientific name: Yucca baccata
Plant type: Shrubs
Habit: Bushy
Height: 1.5m – 3m
Spread: 1.5m – 3m
Foliage: Evergreen
Sunlight: Full Sun
Soil: Chalk, Loam, Sand
Moisture: Well drained
Garden type: Architectural, City & Courtyard Gardens, Patio & Container Garden, Rock & Gravel Garden
Planting type: Low Maintenance

Seasonal colors

How to plant Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) – James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shrubs are fundamental elements in any garden.

They add color and interest throughout the seasons with their wide variety of flowers, foliage, fruits, trunks and stems.

Whatever the size or style of your garden, the permanent woody structure or the foliage of evergreen shrubs will give the space shape and dimension.

How to plant

In this section we will learn how to plant Banana yucca (Yucca baccata), know its needs in terms of soil, watering and sun exposure.

Soil

Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) is not a demanding plant regarding the type of soil and can grow in chalk, loam or sand.

• The chalky soil is pale and contains chunks of calcium-rich rock. It is a fertile and well-draining soil, almost always alkaline.

• The loam soil is dark, rich in organic matter but balanced in minerals. It offers the best of all worlds, retaining enough water for the plants, but allowing excess moisture to drain away. This is the most desired type of garden soil, perfect for most plants.

• Sandy soil is light, porous and very easy to drain. It is a soil poor in organic matter and nutrients. It is composed of relatively large mineral particles that allow water to drain quickly.

It is not very sensitive to soil acidity or alkalinity and grows well in soils with pH acid, alkaline or neutral.

Regarding drainage, Yucca baccata likes to grow in well drained soil.

Sunlight

Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) should be grown in full sun places.

Cultivation profiles – Growing Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) – Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons