Variegated Adam's Needle

Yucca 'Ivory Tower'

Name: Yucca 'Ivory Tower'
Brand: GROW TROPICALS
SKU: YUCCIVORY18
Price: 26.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

£26.99

Hardy in the UKSun-lovingEvergreenRHS award winner

Pot size

18cm / 2.5L £26.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Yucca 'Ivory Tower': This is the variegated form of the hardy Adam's needle, sold as Yucca flaccida 'Ivory' and also as 'Ivory Tower'. It makes a low rosette of arching, sword-shaped leaves in grey-green, each one striped and edged with creamy ivory-white and fringed with fine curly threads. In summer it sends up tall panicles of nodding, creamy-white bell flowers that can reach 1.5m or more above the foliage.

Hardiness and seasons: Rated H5 by the RHS, it is fully hardy to around -15C and comes through most British winters outdoors. The variegated rosette is evergreen and holds its shape and colour through the cold months, with the flower spike appearing over summer. In a wet winter the main thing to get right is drainage, since the roots dislike sitting in cold, sodden ground, and it can struggle in very exposed or northern gardens.

How and where to grow: Give it full sun and a free-draining spot, ideally south or east-facing. It is happy in loam or sand and copes with acid, neutral or alkaline soil. The rosette stays small, usually around half a metre tall and up to about 1.5m across in time, so it suits a gravel garden, a sunny border edge or a large pot. It takes coastal wind and exposed sites in its stride, though a sheltered position keeps the variegation at its best.

Getting established and using it: Water new plants through their first summer while the roots take hold, then leave it be. Once settled it is drought tolerant and asks for very little. Use it for bright, architectural structure at the front of a dry border, in a gravel scheme or as a spiky container plant, where the creamy variegation lifts darker planting. The leaf tips are sharp, so keep it away from busy paths.

Nursery quality: Our plants are grown outdoors and hardened off, so they arrive weather-ready and used to real conditions.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Variegated Adam's Needle

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.

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About Variegated Adam's Needle

Yucca 'Ivory Tower' needs full sun and well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Coastal & Exposed Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Hardy across most of the UK (RHS H5). Evergreen and frost-hardy; wants sharp drainage in winter wet. Read moreShow less

Hardy across most of the UK (RHS H5). Evergreen and frost-hardy; wants sharp drainage in winter wet.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingEast-facingExposedSheltered

Full sun, ideally south or east-facing. Takes exposed and coastal sites. Read moreShow less

Full sun, ideally south or east-facing. Takes exposed and coastal sites.

Soil

LoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Free-draining loam or sand, any pH. Avoid heavy, wet ground. Read moreShow less

Free-draining loam or sand, any pH. Avoid heavy, wet ground.

Watering

Water through the first summer, then leave to it. Drought tolerant once settled. Read moreShow less

Water through the first summer, then leave to it. Drought tolerant once settled.

Mature size

HeightAround 0.5 to 0.6m foliage (flower spikes to 1.5m or more)

Spread1 to 1.5m

Reaches full size in 10 to 20 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

JFMAMJJASOND

Summer · Cream

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Very little needed. Cut spent flower spikes down after flowering and pull away any dead lower leaves. Wear gloves for the sharp tips.

Toxicity

Skin allergen, wear gloves when handling. Harmful to dogs and cats if eaten. The leaf tips are sharp.

Native range

SE USA (species); 'Ivory Tower' is a garden selection

Family

Asparagaceae

Also known as

Yucca 'Ivory Tower'

Genus

Yucca →

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Yucca 'Ivory Tower' hardy in the UK?

Yes. It holds an RHS H5 rating, so it comes through most British winters outdoors. Good drainage matters more than a mild forecast, since cold, wet soil is the main risk.

How big does it get?

The evergreen rosette stays low, usually under half a metre tall and up to about 1.5 metres across over many years. The summer flower spike rises well above that, often past a metre.

Where should I plant it?

Full sun on free-draining soil, ideally a south or east-facing spot. It is happy in a gravel garden, a sunny border or a large pot, and copes with coastal wind.

Does it need much watering?

Only while it settles in. Water through the first summer, then it is drought tolerant and needs very little from you.

Are the leaves dangerous?

The leaf tips are sharp, so plant it away from paths and where children play. The sap can also irritate skin, so wear gloves when handling it.

Will it grow in a pot?

Yes. Its compact size suits containers well. Use a gritty, free-draining compost and do not let it sit wet over winter.

Does my plant come with a pot?

Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.

How big will my plant be when it arrives?

Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.

What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?

There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.

What should I do when my plant arrives?

First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.

Will my plant survive being shipped?

Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.

Meet the family

Everything about Yucca

Yucca plants are perfect beginner plants with their architectural presence and minimal care needs. Native to the hot, arid regions of North America, particularly the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, Yucca plants are built to thrive in dry conditions. Their swo...

More about Yucca care

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Yucca 'Ivory Tower'

£26.99