Most of us are used to seeing the Yucca (often called the Spanish Bayonet or Adam’s Needle) as a trusty indoor houseplant. So, it’s always a bit of a “wow” moment when you spot one thriving right in someone’s front yard! Seeing a Yucca covered in a blanket of snow is definitely a cool sight, and it’s more common than you might think.
Understanding Hardiness
When the mercury drops below 32°F, we’re officially in frost territory. A plant’s “hardiness” tells us just how low that thermometer can go before the plant runs into trouble. Just keep in mind that these ratings usually refer to short cold snaps, not weeks of deep-freeze conditions. You should always take these numbers with a grain of salt, and remember: they only apply to plants established in the ground, not those sitting in pots!
How Frost-Hardy are Yuccas?
Since hardiness varies wildly from one species to the next, we generally group them into two categories:
- Garden Yuccas
- Indoor Yuccas
Indoor varieties are the divas of the family—they start getting grumpy as soon as temperatures dip toward 50°F. If we’re talking about surviving a real winter, we need to look at the rugged Garden Yuccas.
Garden Yuccas
Believe it or not, many Garden Yuccas are tougher than they look. Their biggest enemy isn’t actually the cold—it’s the moisture. These plants hate having “wet feet” during the winter months.
Yucca baccata (Banana Yucca)
- Hardy down to -13°F
- I’d definitely recommend some protection from winter rain/wetness
Yucca filamentosa (Adam’s Needle)
- Hardy down to -18°F
- Pretty tough when it comes to moisture
- Usually doesn’t need extra protection from the rain
Yucca flaccida (Weak-Leaf Yucca)
- Hardy down to -13°F
- Handles dampness relatively well
- Extra rain protection isn’t strictly necessary
Yucca glauca (Soapweed Yucca)
- Hardy down to -31°F
- No rain protection needed
- This is easily one of the toughest Yuccas out there!
Yucca gloriosa (Moundlily Yucca)
- Hardy down to -13°F (look for specific cold-hardy cultivars)
- Fairly resistant to moisture
- Generally fine without extra protection
Yucca recurvifolia (Curve-Leaf Yucca)
- Hardy down to -13°F
- Extremely resistant to wet conditions
- No special protection required
Yucca rostrata (Beaked Yucca)
- Hardy down to -4°F
- Very sensitive to winter moisture
- You’ll want to protect this one from rain and plant it in a sheltered spot
Yucca thompsoniana (Thompson’s Yucca)
- Hardy down to -4°F
- Needs protection from winter wetness
Marginally Hardy Yuccas
The following species have some cold tolerance, but they’ll likely only survive in the ground if you live somewhere with very mild winters:
- Yucca brevifolia (Joshua Tree): Hardy to -2°F
- Yucca aloifolia (Aloe Yucca): Hardy to 10°F
- Yucca schidigera (Mojave Yucca): Hardy to 14°F
