Non native Yucca withstands winter well

I'm always amazed to see the bright green and yellow striped leaves of a yucca plant poking up above the snow each winter. Yuccas are not native to Ontario. No surprise there. These are tropical, or at the very least, sub-tropical plants.

 
Yet, transplanted to Ontario these hardy plants are known to survive winters in which the temperature drops to -30 degrees. At minus thirty no one cares whether its Fahrenheit or Centigrade. It is simply cold.

Heavy snow can damage the tall leaves and long periods of arctic-cold weather can damage the roots if the root system is too shallow.