Yucca elephantipes is a container plant supreme, retaining its crisp, clean, green look and bold, spiky foliage even when it receives little attention. This means it is ideal for the casual beach bach, yet is also classy enough to be the statement plant of a city apartment. In a sunny position, group Yucca elephantipes with a container or two of other succulents of highly distinctive yet contrasting form, such as Aloe polyphylla and Agave attenuata, and you have a very pleasing efect.

In gardens, Yucca elephantipes grows tall. Use it for stunning contrast among grasses with fine foliage, such as Carex testacea, and with other handsome native foliage plants such as flaxes. Contrast it with rounded, low growing shrubs such as Ceratostigma ‘Forest Blue’ and Metrosideros ‘Tahiti, with other dramatic foliage such as Cordyline ‘Red Star’, Agave attenuata, Aloe bainesii, Astelia ‘Silver Spear’ and Astelia banksii. On a sunny bank, Yucca elephantipes makes you smile when it’s definite shape is seen rising out of casual, colourful, rather shapeless ground covers such as Osteospermum ‘Buttermilk’, Arctotis varieties ‘Hannah’ and ‘Hayley’ and Gazania ‘Montezuma’.