Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Beaked Yucca with Trunk
This is beaked yucca with a trunk already formed, so you skip the years a young plant takes to get there. Its round, powder-blue crown of narrow leaves sits up on a trunk wrapped in a soft gray skirt of old leaves. It makes a bold focal point at an entry or in a gravel bed, and it sends up tall stalks of white flowers in spring. Once rooted it needs very little water and handles cold down to about 0°F.
Best for: a focal point at an entry, courtyard or gravel bed, instant height in a new desert or modern yard, and low-water beds with agaves and cacti.
It usually grows on a single trunk topped by one round blue crown, so it reads as one clean shape. Set it at an entry, in a courtyard or in a gravel bed where it can be seen year round.
Beaked yucca grows slowly, and a young plant takes years to form a trunk. This one arrives with the trunk already started, so the crown sits up off the ground from day one. It keeps gaining height slowly after that.
It grows in full sun or filtered sun and needs very little water once rooted. That puts it on the same deep, spaced-out watering as agaves and cacti. Plant it in soil that drains fast.
Too much water or poorly drained soil causes root and crown rot, the most common way these yuccas die. Yucca weevil grubs can tunnel into the base and make it collapse. Leaf tips can brown in very hot summers. The leaves end in sharp tips, so keep it back from walkways, pool edges and play areas.
- Group of beaked yuccas8 ft apart
- Open, spread-out planting12 ft apart
Keep the root area slightly damp until a new plant roots in, then stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted, soak it deeply about every 2 to 4 weeks in summer, less in spring and fall, and little or none in winter. Let the soil dry between soakings. Older plants can get by on rain for much of the year.
Plant it at the same depth it grew in the container and keep the same side facing south. Shade a new plant with shade cloth until new growth shows, and skip fertilizer.
Old leaves fold down into a shaggy skirt, and removing them is optional. Cut each spent flower stalk low after it finishes. It blooms again in later years.
The yucca snout weevil attacks yuccas. Leaves wilt or lean, the base goes soft, and the plant collapses. Good drainage and little water once rooted keep it healthy. Remove a collapsed plant and the soil around it so grubs do not spread.
It is rated to about -20°F. Keep the soil on the dry side in winter, since wet, cool soil leads to rot.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What does the trunked beaked yucca look like when it arrives?
It comes in a 25 Gallon container with a trunk already showing under its round, powder-blue crown. Old leaves usually fold down over the trunk as a soft gray skirt.
How is this different from the regular beaked yucca?
It is the same plant, just older. Beaked yucca grows slowly, and a young plant takes years to form a trunk. Buying one with the trunk already formed gives you that height now.
How big does beaked yucca get?
It grows about 6 to 15 feet tall with a crown 4 to 8 feet across, over many years. It usually stays on a single trunk, and older plants can branch into several heads.
Where should I plant a trunked beaked yucca?
Give it an open, sunny spot where it can be seen, like an entry, a courtyard or a gravel bed. Keep it well back from walkways, seating, pool edges and play areas, since each leaf ends in a sharp tip.
How do I plant a large beaked yucca?
Plant it at the same depth it grew in the container, and keep the same side facing south so it does not sunburn. Dig through any caliche so the hole drains. Shade it with shade cloth until new growth shows, and skip fertilizer.
How much water does beaked yucca need?
Keep the soil around the roots slightly damp until it roots in. After that, soak it deeply about every 2 to 4 weeks in summer, less in spring and fall, and little or none in winter. Let the soil dry out between soakings.
Can beaked yucca take Phoenix summer heat?
Yes, it takes full sun in Phoenix and Tucson. In very hot summers the leaf tips can brown at the ends. It grows best in fast-draining, rocky soil.
Is beaked yucca cold hardy?
Yes, it is one of the most cold-hardy trunk-forming yuccas and takes no damage down to about 0°F. Keep the soil on the dry side in winter, since cold, wet soil leads to rot.
Should I trim the skirt on beaked yucca?
Trimming the skirt is up to you. Old leaves flatten against the trunk into a natural skirt, and many gardeners leave it. Removing them shows a soft gray trunk.
When does beaked yucca bloom?
It blooms in spring, with clusters of creamy white, bell-shaped flowers on a tall stalk above the crown. Small yucca moths pollinate the flowers. It does not die after blooming, so cut each stalk low once it finishes.
What kills beaked yucca?
Mostly root and crown rot from too much water or poorly drained soil. Yucca weevil grubs can also tunnel into the base and cause a sudden collapse. Leaves that wilt or lean and a soft base are warning signs.
Is beaked yucca safe for dogs and cats?
Yucca is listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating it usually causes vomiting. Keep pets from chewing on it, and keep them away from the sharp leaf tips.
Beaked Yucca with Trunk for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Beaked Yucca with Trunk is the same slow, tree-form yucca as our regular beaked yucca, grown on until it has a trunk. You get the round blue crown up off the ground now instead of years from now. Below are the questions Valley gardeners ask most, from planting a large yucca to water, heat, cold and the leaf skirt.
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Beaked yucca with a trunk vs a young plant
Beaked yucca grows slowly, and a young plant takes years to form a trunk. A trunked plant puts the round blue crown up off the ground on day one. It is the same plant, and it keeps growing slowly from there.
Where to plant a trunked beaked yucca
It works best as a focal point in full sun, at an entry, in a courtyard or in a gravel bed. It usually grows as one trunk and one crown, so give it open space around it. Keep it well back from walkways and pool edges because of the sharp leaf tips.
How to plant a large beaked yucca in Phoenix
Plant it at the same depth it grew and keep the same side facing south. Dig through any caliche so water drains away. Shade cloth helps until new growth shows, and it needs no fertilizer.
Watering beaked yucca in Phoenix
Keep the root area slightly damp until it roots in, then water deeply and let the soil dry out between soakings. Plan on about every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and little or none in winter. Overwatering is the most common reason these yuccas fail.
Beaked yucca in Phoenix summer heat
It takes full sun in Phoenix and Tucson. In very hot summers the leaf tips can brown. Fast-draining, rocky soil keeps it healthiest.
Is beaked yucca cold hardy in Arizona?
Yes. It takes no damage down to about 0°F, which makes it one of the most cold-hardy tree-form yuccas. Keep winter soil on the dry side to avoid rot.
Beaked yucca pests and problems
The main problems are root rot from too much water and the yucca weevil, whose grubs bore into the base. Watch for leaves that wilt or lean and a soft base. Good drainage and little water once rooted keep it healthy.
How far apart do you plant beaked yucca?
Plant them about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your bed.
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