Cordyline
One of our favorite ways to inject color into our customer’s landscapes in Tampa is to plant one or a row of Cordyline. While some types grow five to ten feet tall, we focus on selling smaller variations that serve as a tropical shrub. The family itself contains a huge variety of species, each giving us a different shapes, sizes, or color. Visitors to the nursery often seek our consultation seeking a way to add color to areas of their yard that get moderate or little sunlight. We frequently recommend Cordyline because the plant’s color does not come from flowers, but from the leaves themselves. The fact that it grows well in a northern exposure or tree shaded area makes it a perfect choice. The Cordyline colors range from bright reds, purples, and yellows to shades of white and cream.
Cordyline at Keep it Green
| Names | Cordyline, Cordyline terminalis, Ti Plant |
| Plant Type | Tropical Shrub |
| Hardiness Zones | 10-11 |
| Blooms | No Flowers |
| Light Needs | Partial Sun to Shade |
| Water Needs | Steady While Young, Regular Once Mature |
| Soil Needs | Moist, Well-Drained |
Care Information
Care for the Cordyline plant should be relatively easy. When indoors, keep it in a bright area but without a lot of direct sunlight. The Cordyline thrives outdoors in a variety of sunlight variations, even in full shade. Make sure you water more often when it gets an abundance of sun. If possible, fertilize once a month with liquid fertilizer. The intensity of leaf color depends largely on various levels of light, water, temperature, and fertilizer and varies over the course of a year. Experiment with different combinations for the best result in your yard.
Design Ideas
The wide range of types, each with a different vivid color brings endless opportunities for the Cordyline to add aesthetic value to your Tampa landscape. Use the shrub to accent a corner or in a cluster to serve as the foundation of a large bed. It solves a timeless landscaping problem of putting color in a shaded area that won’t support flowering plants. Keep it mind that the Cordyline does not like cold weather so make sure you can cover the plants it in the case of an impending frost or freeze. The landscaping experts at the Keep it Green nursery can help you pick out the best Cordyline for your yard. You can buy one for a pot you have at home or have us produce a free design incorporating several types with different colors. Come visit us at your earliest convenience. We are located in Apollo Beach, just south of Gibsonton, Riverview, and Brandon, only twenty minutes from downtown Tampa.
