red yucca plant seed pods Yucca Hummingbird

Hesperaloe parviflora

Yeehaw! Here’s a rootin’, tootin’ beauty that’s native to Texas, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, but it’s a star performer all over the country. Hummingbird yucca boasts loads of red, trumpet-shaped blooms on top of tall spikes rising from a rosette of long, narrow leaves. Watch your head when standing near one, because the hummingbirds will come dive bombing! The flowers eventually give way to large seed pods, which are delightful and decorative in their own right. Once established, hummingbird yucca needs very little additional water, in fact, the only way to really harm this plant is by over-watering. In addition to being drought tolerant, it can handle the cold, and is a perennial down to zone 5. Hummingbird yucca started from seed will usually bloom in its second or third year. Once established, mature plants reproduce not only by seed, but also by “pupping out,” producing off-shoots around the base of the mother plant.

Full sun. Grows up to 36 inches tall and wide (eventually), with flower spikes reaching about 60 inches.

10 seeds.

Directions: Soak seed in water for at least 2 hours before sowing in moistened well-drained seed starting mix. Cover seed lightly and keep medium moist. Seed will begin to germinate in about one week at temperatures of 68 – 70 degrees F, but may take up to 4 weeks. Once large enough to transplant, pot into a larger container. Can move outside at this point, but wait to plant into the ground until the plant is about gallon-sized. 

Planting Depth	Plant Spacing	Days to Germination	Days to Maturity
Surface	1-4 feet	7-28	Perennial