Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Our Lords Candle
Our Lord's Candle forms a dense, stemless ball of stiff, gray-green leaves about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. After about five years or more it sends up one huge flower stalk, often 8 to 15 feet tall, packed with scented, creamy white bells. It is a once-in-a-lifetime show, and a bold accent in gravel and rock gardens until then. It gets by on little water and is rated to about 10°F.
Best for: a bold rosette accent in gravel and rock gardens, dry xeriscape beds, and a one-time flower show you plan around.
The dense, round rosette of stiff gray-green leaves makes a bold accent in a gravel bed or rock garden. It stays about 2 to 3 feet tall until it blooms.
After five or more years it sends up a single stalk, often 8 to 15 feet tall, covered in scented, creamy white bells. The stalk shoots up within a few weeks.
Once rooted it needs only about one or two deep waterings a month in summer and very little the rest of the year. Fast-draining, rocky soil suits it best.
The main rosette blooms once then dies, so it is not a forever plant. Some plants leave pups at the base that carry on. The needle-sharp leaf tips belong well away from paths, and soggy soil causes rot.
- Plant to plant3-6 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.
Plant it at the same depth it grew and keep the same side facing south. Shade a new plant with shade cloth until new growth shows. Skip fertilizer, since it does not need any.
Unlike true yuccas, the main rosette sends up one tall flower stalk. After that bloom, the rosette dies.
Snout weevils can attack 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 10°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.
Does Our Lord's Candle die after it blooms?
Yes. The main rosette blooms once then dies. Some plants leave pups at the base that grow on, while others end with the bloom.
How long until Our Lord's Candle blooms?
It usually takes five years or more from seed, and sometimes 10 to 15. Buy the larger size if you want a bloom sooner.
How tall is the flower stalk?
It is often 8 to 15 feet tall, shooting up within a few weeks in spring and covered in scented, creamy white bells. Leave open space above the plant for it.
How big does the plant get before it blooms?
The leaves form a dense ball about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, with no trunk. Plant it 3 to 6 feet from paths and other plants.
Does it need full sun in the Valley?
It grows in full sun to light shade. In the hottest spots, give it a little afternoon shade.
How often should I water Our Lord's Candle?
Water more often until it roots in. After that, about once or twice a month in summer is enough, with very little the rest of the year.
What soil does it need?
Plant it in fast-draining, rocky soil where it never sits in soggy ground. If you hit caliche, dig through it so the hole drains.
Is Our Lord's Candle cold hardy?
Yes. It is rated hardy to about 10°F, so it needs no frost cover in the Valley. Keep the soil on the dry side in winter.
Are the leaves sharp?
Yes. The stiff leaves have fine teeth along the edges and needle-sharp tips. Keep it well away from paths, pool edges and play areas.
Is Our Lord's Candle toxic to pets?
Yes, it is listed as mildly toxic to dogs and cats, and chewing it can cause vomiting. The needle tips can also injure a pet, so plant it where pets cannot reach it.
What pollinates Our Lord's Candle?
A small yucca moth pollinates it, and the plant depends on that moth to set seed. Leave the flower stalk standing until the flowers fade.
Is Our Lord's Candle a yucca?
It was long called Yucca whipplei, and many nurseries still sell it under that name. Its current botanical name is Hesperoyucca whipplei. It is also called chaparral yucca.
Our Lords Candle for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Our Lord's Candle, also called chaparral yucca and sold as Yucca whipplei, is a spiky gray-green rosette famous for its giant spring flower stalk. It is a low-water accent for gravel and rock gardens. Below are the questions Valley homeowners ask most before planting one.
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Our Lord's Candle bloom: what to expect
After five or more years, the rosette sends up one stalk, often 8 to 15 feet tall, covered in scented white bells. The main rosette then dies, and some plants leave pups that carry on.
How big Our Lord's Candle gets
The leaves form a round, trunkless ball about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. The flower stalk is the only tall part.
Growing Our Lord's Candle in Phoenix
Give it fast-draining, rocky soil and full sun to light shade. Water about once or twice a month in summer and very little the rest of the year.
Our Lord's Candle vs a true yucca
It was long sold as Yucca whipplei, and its current name is Hesperoyucca whipplei. Unlike most yuccas, the main rosette blooms once then dies.
What Our Lord's Candle looks like
The rigid leaves are gray-green to gray-blue, with finely toothed edges and needle-sharp tips. They form a dense, round rosette with no trunk.
Where Our Lord's Candle comes from
It grows wild in southern California and Baja California, in chaparral and coastal sage scrub. A small yucca moth pollinates its flowers.
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