IRISH GARDENING 



f49 



The Hardy Yuccas. 



The Yuccas belong to the great family of 

 Tiliaceae, and are among the most striking and 

 handsome members of the order. There is a 

 large number of specieS; but onh^ half a dozen 

 or so wdth their varieties can claim to be con- 

 sidered hardy. The sjieeies most commonlv 

 cultivated in tlie 



open are natives 



of the soutliern 



United States, 



and are thus some- 

 what unique in 



their ability to 



withstand tlie 



rigours of our 



colder winters, 



yet it is a fact 



that they seldom 



suffer to any 



great extent from 



the hardest frost 



experienced in 



most parts of 



Ireland, and also 



in many parts of 



Great Britain. 

 Considering, 



therefore, tliis fact 



in conjunctio)! 



with the beauty 



and stateliness of 



leaf and flo%Aer 



found in the var- 

 ious species, we 



are justified in 



giving some at- 

 tention to the 



hardy kinds more 



especially. 



In choosing ii 



position to plant 



Yuccas, it is ob- 

 vious, considering 

 their native habi- 

 tat in the warm 

 southern .States, 

 that abundance 

 of sunshine should be a lirst consideration, also 

 shelter from rough winds is beneficial in preserv- 

 ing the beauty and form of the leaves, and if 

 this shelter can be effected by a belt or bed of 

 evergreens, then the handsoine flower panicles 

 will have a very much enhanced effect^ and 

 will show up to greater advantage. A good, 

 dee]) well-drained soil is necessary if the full 

 beauty of the leaves and flowers is to be 

 obtained. Some of the species ultimately form a 



WITH ('( 



HACKCi; 



coiisideral)Ic .stem surmounted bv the leaves, 

 and may reach a total height of six feet or more ; 

 others produce their leaves always from the 

 ground level, and increase rapidly by offsets or 

 side growths. An exceedinglv handsome and 

 striking group might be formed by planting the 

 taller growers at six or eight feet apart and 

 underplanting them with the dwarf kinds. 

 During a good season when all were flowering 

 freely the effect 

 \\ould be very 

 hne, and even 

 when not in 

 flower the hand- 

 some foliage is 

 effective in itself. 

 Yucca filamen- 

 tosa is one of the 

 dwarf species, a 

 free grower and 

 reliable flowerer. 

 The rigid rather 

 erect leaves grow 

 from 2 to 2J feet 

 high, and are 

 about 2 inches 

 Avide at the 

 broadest part. 

 The specific name 

 is deri\'ed from 

 the hair-like 

 threads which 

 curl back from 

 the margins of 

 the leaves. 

 Yucca flaccida 

 was formerly 

 considerefl a var- 

 iety of Y^.filamen- 

 tosa, but is now 

 usually reckoned 

 as a s])ecies. It 

 is certainly simi- 

 lar in habit and 

 growth to the 

 former, but dif- 

 fers in the leaves 

 sTK\Tis IN Till- being recurved at 

 the points, while 

 the flower ])anicle 

 J.ike Y. tilamentosa. this is a useful 



HOY 



uxi 



IS sliorter 



species for massing, and when happy increases 

 freely. There are several varieties of which Y. 

 flaccida orchioides is the only one known to 

 the writer. It is a stiffer plant than the type, 

 and is described as having an unbranched 

 inflorescence, but I have not seen it in flower. 



Yucca glaiica is another low-growing species 

 producing a large number of leaves, usually 

 much narrower than in the above-mentioned 



