I’ve been growing color guard yuccas in my garden for about eight years. Each summer, I hoped that one of them would produce the stunning blooms that I’ve seen in photographs. But it never happened until now.
This year was very unusual, in terms of Colorado weather. It rained almost every day during June, which is normally a hot, dry month. But I doubt that the moisture had much to do directly with the blooming of this drought-loving organism.
Perhaps the excessive rain encouraged the development of small, whitish yucca moths, which may have pollinated the plant, causing it to bloom. I’m just guessing here.
Another factor may be that the four-year-old plant, which was a pup from my eight-year-old plant, reached the appropriate level of maturity for blooming. This happened with my mini-man viburnum, which bloomed for the first time this spring after four years in the ground.
Also, my blooming yucca is in a hotter, dryer area of the yard than are my other, more mature yuccas.
I’ve read that you can try fertilizing yuccas with a phosphorus-rich fertilizer, such as bone meal, to encourage them to bloom. Too much work for me.
It hasn’t been all bad, though. After all, color guard yuccas are beautiful and evergreen even without their blooms. But whoa, momma! When those blossoms start popping out, a yucca turns into a real show-stopper.
Blossoms & Blueprints 