I live in a bit of a warmer climate than you, but I have seen lots of yuccas do well here. Heres the order of the more commonly yuccas seen here from the ones that I see in peoples yards the most to the ones I see the least

Y. Recurvifolia (they are probably one of the most common landscaping "shrubs" planted here since I see them in lots of yards)
Y. Rostrata
Y. Filamentosa
Y. Faxoniana
Y. Gloriosa
Y. Thompsoniana

There are probably a few that Im forgetting to mention.

I think that Rostrata should do well for you as long as its in a nice and dry spot.

Recurvifolia should also do well. I never even planted this yucca personally, but I have had them coming up in my backyard as weeds for years now. They never get damaged and they were even weeded out once and came back stronger than before. When they get really tall they do occasionally fall over because they get very top heavy, but the pups replace the mother very fast.

Good luck!
-Alex

I have had Y. recurvifolia here for 15 years and it grows really fast. It makes lots of pups and has bloomed most years. I give it a haircut every spring to keep in neat, and there are new leaves to fill it out very quickly. I haven't grown these others, but you might try Y. baccata and Y. glauca. Both of them are native to the northern plains in the US and even into Canada, so they may do well for you.

Recurvifolia is native to the East, so it'll put put well with Winter wet conditions. A well-drained soil will be beneficial. They pup readily, so if there is most rot, you usually can depend on offspring. Rostrata has been doing well for me although it probably is adapted to a much more arid climate. I have to say though that I do really like filifera as it seems the most reliable . If you want something more unusual you can get the variegated one--usually, I'm not that into variegated plants but this one is quite stunning in a sunny position. I tried the variegated gloriosa but it died on me. They're all great plants for very challenging conditions.

Thanks guys. I do have a yucca recurvifolia, but it isn't doing very well, just kind of hanging on. Just a bunch of small pups. I do have it in part sun and heavy clay. I think I have to move it to full sun with some sand amended into the soil.

Anybody have any online sources they know of for different types of yucca at a decent size? I'm looking for larger than 4 inch pots.

High Country Gardens have several yuccas and some are also available as gallon size. I don't know what their standard size is but I'm sure you could call or e-mail them. They have lots of interesting xeric plants, as well as many other items.

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
Good luck.

I remembered seeing a lot more yuccas on eBay last year than I do now. Ray Hunter also had some really nice Gloriosa Variegatas a few years ago. I hope this spring the selection expands a little. Thanks for the tips.

High country Gardens yuccas are extremely small seedlings. I have ordered from them a number of times, and overall they are a great place for a reasonable price to get a nice variety of plants, however, I would probably try to find something much bigger. You might as well grow from seed based on the size you get at HCG.

Good feedback. I'd be trying marginal yuccas, mainly hardy
to zone 7, so I would need something a little larger that would have a better chance of survival in my zone 6b.

bradley, I'm surprised that you got seedlings. I got some decent plants, although they weren't yuccas. But even on their website they say that all their plants are two years old before they ship. Good to know and I'd like to hear from others who bought from them. They do have a nice selection.

I've ordered from them 3 times and was very happy every time. Their plants were very healthy and vigorous, but small, and they grew quickly, except for the cacti and yucca. I only ordered 1 yucca, and it wasn't a 1 gallon, that is relatively rare with them. I also ordered a hesperaloe which was a tiny seedling. It did not survive a relatively easy Pittsburgh winter, where they rarely get below zero. I haven't lived there for 3+years, however as far as I know, it has only gotten below zero once since 1992. Typically they will get several single digit nights with 20-40" of snow, rarely more than 6" at a time. Overall, a great nursery and I highly recommend them, but I would probably stick with perennials, at least on this side of the country.

I've ordered from HCG 2 years in a row now. I've been pretty happy with the plants but the ones they sent have been pretty small. One of my cacti was dead when it arrived. I assume they would have replaced it but I had already thrown the order form away before realizing it was dead. But if you don't mind waiting for them to grow, you can get yucca rostratas and faxonianas at an affordable price. I'm planning on ordering again from them this year.