Is Soapweed Yucca deer resistant?
Yucca glauca
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Soapweed Yucca
In midsummer a stalk goes up through the clump and hangs greenish-white bells the length of it. The rest of the year it is a three- to four-foot spread of narrow, pale-green, dagger-like leaves, evergreen and hard at the tip, and that armament is defence enough that browsing animals tend to work around it. Shade is the first of two things that kill it, and it goes slowly enough that people miss the cause. It will not persist under trees or on the north side of a building; it simply thins, stops flowering, and is gone. Standing water is the second. This is a plant that shrugs off extreme drought and extreme cold and cannot survive waterlogged ground. Lime, by contrast, is no trouble at all — its tolerance for it is rated high. Worth knowing before you site it beside a path: the roots carry saponins, the soap the common name refers to. They will make a dog or cat vomit and can cause liver disease in horses.
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Soapweed Yucca
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Soapweed Yucca grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missourinative
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texasnative
- Coloradonative
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansasnative
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraskanative
- Iowanative
- North Dakotanative
- South Dakotanative
- Montananative
- Wyomingnative
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 13 US states in total.
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Every list Soapweed Yucca belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Soapweed Yucca
- Is Soapweed Yucca deer resistant?
- Soapweed Yucca (Yucca glauca) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Soapweed Yucca grow in?
- Soapweed Yucca is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Soapweed Yucca grow in shade?
- No. Soapweed Yucca wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Soapweed Yucca get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–54 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- Is Soapweed Yucca toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Soapweed Yucca as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.