Question
hello melissa, im writing to  find out if my yukka plant/tree is dying.
we had a hard winter this year and all the leaves have fallen off.
also there is a dark stain on parts and a orange sap with white in the middle. can this be treated. any help will be much appreciated..........thanks

Answer
Dear Craig,  I never like to hear that a yucca has lost all its leaves.  For the most part, yuccas can survive low temperatures of about 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but they prefer warmer climates.  Yuccas are a native plant here in Texas, and they do survive at colder temps, but you won't know for sure if your yucca is going to live until it warms up in the spring and everything is growing well.  Then you will either see new leaves growing or it will be soft and rotten.  Hopefully it will be ok, but if it isn't and you have had it survive previous winters, I would suggest getting another one, and mulching it during the winter.  Sometimes during the winter when we have an unusually hard freeze, I simply throw a blanket over my more tropical plants.  The dark stain could be freeze damage, the orange sap could also be the result of the plant being frozen and thawed again.  I hope the yucca survives.  Let me know if you need more assistance.  Good luck, Melissa