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.