Joshua Tree

Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a slow-growing, evergreen yucca with a branching, tree-like form and stiff blue-green leaf clusters. White-green flowers appear at branch tips in spring, and the plant develops its distinctive silhouette over many years. ## Garden Placement Give it full sun, excellent drainage, and room to branch. The [University of Arizona Arboretum](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=298) recommends it for individual display in an arid landscape and notes tolerance of poor, alkaline, or saline soils. [Utah State University Extension](https://extension.usu.edu/forestry/tree-identification/other-trees/joshua-tree) also describes it as a hot, dry-site plant. ## Seasonal Interest Flowering usually appears in spring after suitable winter conditions. The [National Park Service](https://home.nps.gov/jotr/learn/nature/jtrees.htm) reports white-green flowers and pollination by yucca moths. ## Maintenance Once established, it needs little care and no additional irrigation in the Arizona Arboretum guidance. Avoid placing its rigid leaf tips where they can catch people using paths.