Overgrown Red Yucca Can Be Divided for Smaller Space

Q. I’m replacing some red yuccas that have grown too large for a three foot area, unprotected in full sun. They spill over into the walkway where my grandchildren have been getting stabbed by the leaves. Can tree roses handle that kind of weather?

Red yucca overgrown near a sidewalk. It is possible to gently dig them up in the fall or early spring, divide them and replant smaller plants or 'starts' that will again fit in this space.

A. Red yucca probably not the best choice for a fairly narrow space. Red yucca will get larger in diameter each year and needs to be divided every three to four years to keep them smaller and full of blooms.

Red yucca younger and occupying a smaller space.

           
If you were to dig red yucca out, divide them and replant a start from your divisions you could have kept them in that sized area. Normally you would have divided them in the early spring, around early February, or mid-fall months around the first of October.

           
Tree roses require special pruning techniques and may not be the easiest rose to plant there. Regular hybrid teas or floribundas would be a better choice there. If you do go with roses just make sure that the soil is covered with wood mulch.

By the way, red yucca is not a yucca at all. It just looks kind of like one.