What is this plant and is it worth keeping?

Hi all - I have never done any gardening before so please excuse any dumb questions/terminology.

I'm totally overhauling my garden - it's overun with bindweed and lots of other nasties. Just before xmas I totally stripped it all back and have just one or two large plants which I need to decide what to do with.

First up is this tropical looking tree thing. Does anyone know what it is, and looking at the state of it is it worth keeping?


It looks like it used to be massive, as the current leaves are sprouting from the side of a cut down trunk - see below:


Are these plants expensive to buy? I don't wanna just kill it if so - is there any way of cutting these sprouty bits off and replanting them, so I can dig the main trunk out and give the good bits away?

 

Hello 'Crispz ... unusual name ... and welcome to GC.

It looks like a Yucca filamentosa to me. Here one that size would cost about �£7 ... but I can't tell you what they cost in the UK as I never had one there. Someone else will come along shortly and advise you of the exact species and price.

In the meantime, enjoy the forum!

 

Hi Crispz welcome to GC.

Looks like some kind of yucca, someone will pin it down closer. This style of plant is very trendy at the moment and the larger ones can be quite expensive. If it has been cut down then it is a shame. The 'sprouty bits' if you mean the low leaves are fine but won't root on their own. If it's producing offsets then they will transplant but I can't see any on your pic. A little TLC for a couple of years may transform it into what it should be. Well worth keeping. I think Pete might put his two pennyworth in here. He's the expert on cordylines. palms and yuccas.

 

I must learn to type faster LoL. You are probably right, filamentosa. I have a couple of those but only a year old so I didn't recognise it. Even in it's current condition I think it would bring a tenner in the UK.

 

Thanks guys - I did a search for Yucca Filamentosa and most websites say they sprout white flowers, which my plany never has (in about two years, anyway).

Could it be a different type of Yucca?

By the 'sprouty bits' - I mean if you look at the second pic you can see what was the thick trunk (about 6" accross) and at the side where my hand is there are 2 'branches' sprouting off (and also one at the top of the pic) - these are what form the plant as you see it in pic 1, and I'm wondering if they can be taken off and grown on their own?

 

It's okay, John, I'm a touch typist, and you were probably thinking and drinking as you were attempting to type. :D

I have a nice one here on the dining patio in a large pot plus one of those "on a stick" types as I call them! :eek:

Obviously, I don't know the care of them of them in the UK so pete will have to come along and advise as he's in the locality.

 

Hi again 'Crispz ... we posted about the same time. I think they have to be a wee bit bigger than yours in order to flower ... they are humongous. I'm not sure of the length of time it takes for the plant to flower ... again ... pete or strongy?

 

Ah yes. Sorry I missed them first time. They are offsets. I would cover them with soil and leave them for a while to develop their own root system. Could take a year or two. Gardeners have to be patient, and that includes flowers.

 

Blimey Crispz, it looks to me like Yucca elephantipes, the one that normally grow as a house plant.
I bet it was a pretty good plant before it was cut down.
I, personally would just have to leave it where it is and perhaps reduce the shoots to a couple of good ones.
But if your not into exotics then you may want to dig it out.

 

The leaf damage looks a bit like snails have had a go at it.
Was it covered up a bit by other plants?
Reason I ask is that its not the hardiest of yuccas, but I see your in London, so you might get away with it.
Are the leaf tip very sharp, ie does it hurt if you push your hand onto them?

 

Hi Pete - it was quite heavily smothered by another plant until a month ago when I went on my mad spree (not sure what that plant was either).

The garden is tiny (10' x 10') so I can understand why someone would've cut the trunk. Judging by the thickness of it the plant must've got huge.

The few pointy tips left don't hurt against the hand, they bend with moderate ease. I wouldn't say they were flimsy though. Does this indicate the health of the plant?

 

Not really, I was just having second thoughts on the ID.
I notice that some of the leaf tips are cut off, sometimes done to the more spikey yuccas by people that dont really like them.

Elephantipes (not quite sure on the spelling) has no spine tipped leaves, the hardier more usual outdoor ones that have similar growth are usually pretty dangerous.
I've never seen filamentosa create a stump like that, it has to be one of the tree like ones.
Filamentosa is shrubby.

 

I think the squared off leaves are from my shears when I was attacking the plant that was smothering it.

Looking at the back of the trunk, it doesn't actually go in to the ground all that properly:


Maybe it is just an overgrown potplant?

 

Cant quite see what your getting at Crispz, when you say it doesn't go into the ground properly.
They are normally grown from rooted stem cuttings that are quite large to begin with, perhaps 3ins in diameter or more is possible to root.

My guess, and its only a guess, is that it was pot grown as a house plant for many years and planted into the garden when it became too big.
It might then have got badly damaged by frost etc. so cut down and forgotten about.
Until you uncovered it.

 

pete, I'm sort of sure mine is Y filamentosa as are most here and they are very tree like not shrubby and do not have sharp leaves. :confused:

Here's a pic of mine taken a while back (a small one obviously) drastically cropped from another pic but the best I can do at the mo ...