Cheap but effective way of protecting yuccas through winter?

Hi all,

Newbie looking for advice on what would be a cheap but effective way of protecting outdoor yuccas through winter now we are starting to have frosty mornings?

I've seen fleece plant jackets for sale, which seem simple enough, but I imagine there's a cheaper option?

I've got 3 yuccas, biggest is 4-5ft tall, and am in the London area.

Thanks!

 

hi wormzzz

do you know what kind of yuccas they are? some are totally hardy, but others will struggle even with protection....

emily

 

Oh blimey I can't find all the labels I kept from when I bought them. :( One is a Phormium Tenax, I think. Another is Dracaena Indivisa.

I'll try and take some pictures of the others in the daylight tomorrow and maybe they can be identified.

 

Hi Wormzzz

Phormium tenax are pretty hardy when they are established. some of ours took a battering last year but we didn't actually lose any.... Things in pots will be a bit more susceptible and if you really treasure them then its better safe than sorry.

Dracaena indivisa - had not heard of this one before but looking it up it seems to usually be used as another name for Cordyline australis, so I will presume that is what you have got. All of ours were frosted to the ground last year, but these plants usually have a large tap root which will give new growth from ground level in the spring. However, if you currently have a tall trunk and don't want to lose it then perhaps it is a good idea to protect it if it gets very cold.

The only thing I can think of that might be cheaper than the jackets is just to buy a roll of horticultural fleece. You can then just wrap the plant up, tying loosely round the base. If the jackets look sturdy and seem like they will last for a few years then they might be a better buy, easier to put on and take off as the weather changes... I haven't bought or used them so I'm not sure

You can also help by moving pots closer to the house and out of cold winds.

Hope this helps,

Emily

 

I get the feeling that as you are in London Wormzzz, unless we get a really severe winter you should get away without any protection on both.

Thats bearing in mind that the so called Dracaena indivisa is really Cordyline australis, as far as I know there are no hardy Dracaenas.

Yuccas are different again, some very hardy, some borderline hardy, only if fairly dry.