Outdoor Dream Builders

ROC #343460

Back to Plant Library

succulentPool FriendlyPet FriendlyPollinator Plant

Red Yucca

Name: Red Yucca
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Hesperaloe parviflora

One of the toughest and most rewarding desert plants, sending up arching coral-red flower spikes that hummingbirds adore.

Very cold hardy to near 0°F, USDA 9-11; excellent across low and high desert.

AMWUA Notes

One of the toughest, most water-thrifty accents; long-blooming on almost no irrigation.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Extremely drought tolerant; water established plants monthly at most. Overwatering causes floppy growth and rot.

✂️Pruning

Cut spent flower stalks at the base to keep it tidy and remove any dead leaves; no other pruning needed.

🌱Fertilizing

Not necessary; it blooms best in lean soil.

🛡️Pests

The agave/yucca snout weevil rarely attacks it; otherwise essentially pest-free.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Cold hardy to near 0°F and heat-loving; it blooms spring through fall, feeding hummingbirds over a long season.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Fast-draining decomposed granite or gritty mineral soil; low organic matter

💧Drainage

Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.

🌰Propagation

Division of the clump or seed

📐Spacing

4-5 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Shallow, non-invasive roots; soft, non-spiny and safe near pools and paths

Placement Tips

•Ideal for mass plantings, borders and hummingbird gardens.
•Soft, non-spiny and safe near pools, paths and play areas.
•Give it 5 ft of room.
•Plant in fast-draining soil in full sun.

Features

Coral-red flower spikesHummingbird favoriteExtremely toughLong bloom season

Best Uses

Hummingbird gardenBorderMass planting

Ecological Value

Attracts

hummingbirds

Companion Plants

accent

Native

Desert Spoon

Dasylirion wheeleri

An exceptional native specimen with a dense sphere of blue-gray leaves and a towering summer flower spike.

Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

accent

Native

Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens

An unmistakable desert icon whose thorny canes erupt with fiery red-orange blooms that hummingbirds cannot resist.

Very Low Waterfull sun

succulent

Giant Hesperaloe

Hesperaloe funifera

A statuesque hesperaloe that sends up towering flower spikes attracting bees by day and nocturnal pollinators by night.

Very Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

succulent

Native

Parry's Agave

Agave parryi

A compact native agave with tightly packed blue-gray leaves forming one of the most decorative rosettes in the desert.

Very Low Waterfull sun

Quick Stats

Water NeedsVery Low (Xeric)

Sun Exposurefull sun

Mature Size3 ft H × 5 ft W

Growth Rateslow

Maintenancelow

HardinessUSDA 9-11

FoliageEvergreen

Drainagesharp, fast-draining

Bloom SeasonSpring-summer

Bloom ColorCoral-red

Litter Levellow

ThornsNone

Native RegionWestern Texas and Northeastern Mexico

Design Styles

desert modern

Include in Your Project

Love Red Yucca? Our landscape team sources from wholesale nurseries and can incorporate it into your design.

Talk to a Dream Builder Get a Project Estimate

Already a Client?

Use this care guide to maintain your Red Yucca. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.

Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.