Hesperaloe parviflora

Not an aloe and not a yucca, it’s grass-like succulent in the Agavaceae family about four feet tall and wide, native to the Southwest U.S. and Mexico. What I like about the Hesperaloe is its structural rigidness of its leaves and the red inflorescence that towers over seven and eight feet on mature plants.

Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow Sun'
Hesperaloe parviflora ‘Yellow Sun’

As a desert succulent, it’s one of the few succulents I would recommend no supplemental irrigation. In my experience it performs better when it is placed off of the irrigation grid on sunny locations. And as most succulents, its growth is slow, but it will not disappoint because the bloom stalks are strikingly spectacular.

With the occasional desiccation of leaves, it literally requires no pruning. It’s relatively free of pests/diseases unless placed on shade or over-watered.  It is easy to propagate by seed or by clump division. Whether the red or yellow blooming H. parviflora, it’s absolutely one of my favorite succulents for full sun and limited irrigation areas in the garden.