Plant in full sun or light shade in well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant and does best in a hot spot in the garden but appreciates occasional irrigation in summer to encourage flowering but use care not to over water. The species is known to be quite adaptable and, in fact, likes our alkaline soils and has not shown susceptibility to any pests or diseases. It is hardy to well below 0° F and recommended in USDA zones 6 - 10. This is an attractive clean plant for desert and succulent gardens can be planted in mass, individually or in containers. The flowers, opening from the bottom up, are quite attractive to hummingbirds and also make a good cut flower for the vase.

Hesperaloe parviflora is native to the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas east and south into central and south Texas and northeastern Mexico around Coahuila. The name Hesperaloe means western aloe with the combination the Greek word 'Hesperis' meaning "of the evening" or "western" with "aloe" in reference to this plant being found in the North America (in the west) and superficially looking like plants in the genus Aloe. The specific epithet is from the Latin words 'parvus' meaning "small" and 'flora' meaning "flower" in reference to the small flowers are scattered along the inflorescence. The plant was first described as Yucca parviflora by John Torrey in the "Report on the United States and Mexican boundary Survey" in 1859 and was renamed Aloe yuccaefolia Asa Gray in "Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1868 but and then Hesperaloe yuccaefolia when George Engelmann described the plant in Sereno Watson's "United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel vol. 5". The name currently used is the combination that John Merle Coulter used in his description in "Contributions from the United States National Herbarium" in 1894. Other common names include False Red Yucca, Texas Red Yucca, Samandoque, Coral Yucca Red Flower Yucca and Hummingbird Yucca.

Hesperaloe parviflora Brakelights is a selection that has much darker red bell-shaped flowers which has been observed to continue to flower over a longer period than the species which typically displays its coral-pink tubular flowers in mid-summer. One reason this plant continues to flower is that it appears that it does not set seed so this energy goes into a prolonged flowering period. Brakelights, is the marketing name with the cultivar name 'Perpa'. It was selected by Ron Gass in 2006 from seedlings from a self-pollinated selection of Hesperaloe parviflora in controlled breeding program that took place in 2002 at Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The program's objective was to develop plants with unique flower coloration. The resulting plant has a dark red bell-shaped flowers instead of the parents more coral pink tubular flowers. Under the cultivar name 'Perpa it received U.S. Plant Patent PP21,729 in February 2011. It was released by Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in the spring of 2011 and we grew it from then until 2014. We found that this cultivar has great flower color over a long season but the weight of the flowers on the slender stems often weighed down the inflorescence to the ground instead of holding them up like other selections of Hesperaloe. 

The information about Hesperaloe parviflora Brakelights ['Perpa'] PP21,729 displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.