For instant impact in the garden and a touch of the Mediterranean, a handsome yucca is hard to beat. Their evergreen, sword-shaped leaves spear up out of the border, sometimes edged strikingly in silver or gold; Yucca filamentosa has long, delicate threads curling from the edges to soften their spiky, architectural shape. Later in the season they’re topped with big blowsy spires of creamy white flowers, making them an unmissable highlight of the late-summer border. Yuccas enjoy a sunny spot in well-drained soil. They need little attention beyond removing the flower spike once spent; they don’t even need watering, as they’re famously drought-tolerant.