Leaves are thin, stiff, up to 60 cm long but rarely more than 15 mm wide, tapering to a sharp point at the tip.

[4][5][6] As one of the hardiest trunk-forming yuccas, Yucca rostrata can be grown successfully outdoors down to USDA hardiness zone 5 and is popular in many desert cities such as Palm Springs, CA, Phoenix, AZ, and Las Vegas, NV, in the Southwestern United States.

The tree-like plant is also commonly cultivated in garden zones 7 and 8 in El Paso, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado.

In European (away from the drier climates around the Mediterranean Sea) cultivation is often more difficult due to cool summers and frequent wet conditions found in these areas.

However, many people in the cooler and wetter parts of Northwest Europe cover Yucca rostrata in winter to keep moisture off the plant.