Search
Close this search box.

Our Lord’s candle

Hesperoyucca whipplei

Description

Our Lord’s candle is a striking rosette-shaped perennial with stiff and sharply pointed gray-green leaves, growing with a spherical shape 3-4 ft. tall and 6 ft wide. Dramatic floral displays are produced by mature plants from late spring into summer, consisting of hundreds of fragrant small white flowers displayed on the top of 6-12 ft. tall spikes. This is a monocarpic species; plants die after flowering. Formerly known as Yucca whipplei, Our Lord’s candle can be grown in warm and sunny exposures throughout the Inland Empire.

Our Lord’s candle is one of the most distinctive signature plants among California’s native flora. Both its vegetative growth habit and flowering character have made it an icon of dry landscape settings. It is easy to grow in cultivation with good drainage and little summer water. It provides striking accent value in native gardens and in combination with rocks; flowering can occur after 5-6 years of growth. Careful placement is important to reduce the hazard posed by its sharply pointed leaves.

Plant Type: Yucca, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Dense
Growth Rate: Slow
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: White
Flower Season: Spring, Summer
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Wind, Heat, Drought, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Attracts butterflies, Slopes, Rock gardens, Hummingbird plant, Foliage accent plant, Flowering accent plant, Background plant
Height: 3 ft. – 4 ft.
Width: 6 ft.

Set your preferred view

Choose between a list or map view of all signs found in our waterwise garden and park.

Welcome to the Waterwise Garden Digital Tour

This is a digital registry created to offer further information on the physical signs in our waterwise garden and park premises.

Would you like a few tips on how to use this tool?

Move around

Travel to different sections of our garden and park premises by using the horizontal scrollbar at the top.

Locate your sign​

Using the map view, you can preview what each specific sign is about by tapping on the plus icon.

Refer back to these tips

You can view these tips at any time by tapping the Help link in the top left.