succulent
Red yucca
Hesperaloe parviflora
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hesperaloe parviflora is a slow-growing evergreen succulent for gardens in zones 6–11. Expect 3–5 ft of height and 3–4 ft of spread; our lists space it 3 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect red and pink flowers in May to September. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the grass role: a spiky, upright accent that gives the middle of the bed the line and texture a grass would. It is native to Texas and the South-Central states. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is toxic to dogs and cats.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Hesperaloe parviflora
- Plant type
- Succulent, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 6 to 11
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained soil; tolerates rocky, alkaline ground.
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft tall × 3–4 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- May–Sep · red and pink
- Roles in a bed
- Grass
- Styles
- low water, modern, natural
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. No ASPCA entry found; close relatives (yucca, agave) are listed toxic, so marked toxic until reviewed.
- Native to
- South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$22 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week for the first 6-8 weeks, then every 10-14 days in dry spells through the first summer; after that only in long droughts.
- Pruning
- Cut spent flower stalks at the base.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate); USDA PLANTS database; state extension service native plant lists. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Red yucca, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
- FrogfruitPhyla nodifloragroundcover · zones 8–11
- Virginia sweetspire 'Little Henry'Itea virginica 'Sprich'shrub · zones 5–9
- Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'small tree · zones 5–9
- Arkansas bluestarAmsonia hubrichtiiperennial · zones 5–9
- Catmint 'Walker's Low'Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low'perennial · zones 3–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Red yucca: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillariszones 6–11 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah'Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'zones 4–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Adam's needle yucca 'Color Guard'Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'zones 4–10 · flagged toxic to pets
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumzones 5–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants