The combination of dense wet snow and a gusting wind from the ENE caused the fragile trunk of Yucca elata growing at the corner of the fern house to collapse. Looking at the damage, there had been a previous break at this point thus weakening the woody fibre providing the strength to support this mass of linear spiky foliage.

A good time to remind those with available time to knock the excessive weight of snow gently from prized specimens and hedge tops in the garden. This will prevent damage to years of growth and the pleasure of this years flowering coming to an untimely demise. One of the benefits of the snow is the insulating property that it provides to vegetative shoots of green as the emerging spring bulbs were showing foliage prior to the snow storms and this spell of arctic weather.

Yucca elata – fibre

Yucca elata