I do agree with non symmetric planting not looking as pleasing but phormiums would be a good plant. They don't grow a trunk, they just develop longer leaves and have flower spikes when mature that shoot up above the foliage (once they have flowered you can just cut this woody stem off). Maintanence depends on the weather and how exposed the situation is. If your yucca are doing well and don't get frosted leaf tips, then you probably won't have to do much with the phormiums. All that's really needed is to cut out any dead leaves but each leaf can last a very long time and a few minutes tidying up per year is all that's needed.
Phormium tricolor, remains at ground level and does not form a trunk. It can reach 2 metres in height and 3 metres wide. I've attached a photo of 3 in one of my borders. It is very low maintenance, you just need to keep it well watered until it is established. Any dead leaves can usually be removed by hand. It can send off very exotic looking flower stalks in summer, birds like them, I don't think they'll be stolen though!
If you prefer something with a trunk, try Cordyline australis. It looks like a young Yucca then starts to develop a trunk. I prefer the variegated one, the green one tends to look a bit tatty with yellowing leaves and black spots. The Phormium is a much nicer shrub! Good luck!
Another thought, as others have said, you could simply replace your Pampas grass with another Yucca and create that flow of small, medium and large plants. It depends on whether you plan to keep all plants in future or introduce some changes! Personally, I'd replace them all with Phormiums because I prefer the way they grow, the shadows they create and the subtle way they move in a breeze! (Like Yuccas, Phormiums are evergreen.) It's all down to your personal taste!
Hmm certainly some food for thought. I hadn't clicked the small, medium, large so glad others pointed it out. I don't like things to seem 'odd', so having some sort of pattern in mind helps me feel better about it.
The tricolour is very pretty & maintenance sounds on par with the yucca so that's appealing. Little unsure on size as the pampas is a bit of a pain to see around when getting off the drive & wonder if phormiums would cause a similar issue eventually. A small yucca might be better if keeping that in mind.
Thanks all, I'm feel much less lost now I've got some plant names to research!
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Maintanence depends on the weather and how exposed the situation is. If your yucca are doing well and don't get frosted leaf tips, then you probably won't have to do much with the phormiums. All that's really needed is to cut out any dead leaves but each leaf can last a very long time and a few minutes tidying up per year is all that's needed.
If you prefer something with a trunk, try Cordyline australis. It looks like a young Yucca then starts to develop a trunk. I prefer the variegated one, the green one tends to look a bit tatty with yellowing leaves and black spots. The Phormium is a much nicer shrub! Good luck!
The tricolour is very pretty & maintenance sounds on par with the yucca so that's appealing. Little unsure on size as the pampas is a bit of a pain to see around when getting off the drive & wonder if phormiums would cause a similar issue eventually. A small yucca might be better if keeping that in mind.
Thanks all, I'm feel much less lost now I've got some plant names to research!