They truly are water wise plants.Ĭordylines can give year round lushness and colour in a shady spot that really compliments other plants like palms. But during the drought, the cordylines simply stopped growing until the rains came, then they powered off again. Last year's drought in Queensland saw gardeners planting arid zone plants but as soon as normal rainfall arrived, which it inevitably does, many keeled over and died. Some like it hot, but grasshoppers don't. When it's cooled, strain the liquid and add a third of a cup of soap flakes. But for grasshoppers, boil up a cup of hot chillies in a litre of water. They're also attractive to grasshoppers and snails. Unfortunately, cordylines are not just attractive to us. The cutting that's left is about 15 centimetres - just push it into a potting mix or some soil and before long there will be three cordylines for the price of one. All you do is cut the plant, in three - replant the head and the middle part of the stem in the ground or plant in a pot. PropagationĬordylines are easy to propagate. It takes its name from the distinctive leaf petioles, or stems that hold the leaf on. Among the most popular cordylines is 'Pink Diamond', a cordyline found in Thailand. 'Negra' is considered to be the parent of Cordyline 'Kalawai'. New growth is green but as the long leaves mature, they turn black. One to look out for is Cordyline 'Negra'. Eight species are native to Australia, but over the years there has been much hybridisation. There are about 15 species of cordylines each with multiple varieties. To enhance the colours even more give them a folia spray with a fertiliser containing both potash and iron, every so often through the growing period. Use an organic lawn fertiliser because it's got a good level of nitrogen but do make sure there's potash in it. To make the leaf colour bright, add fertiliser with a high level of potassium, in spring and autumn. In yellow leaves, the remaining chemical is xanthophyll and if we had an orange leaf, it would be carotene. The green colouring is of course chlorophyll, but when that breaks down, the chemical that's remaining is anthocyanin which produces the red leaves. It's interesting to learn how the colouring gets into cordyline leaves.

Other colour combinations to watch for include: green and an almost burnt orange green and bright pink, and the good thing about these leaves is they stay that colour all year round. The range of colours is absolutely stunning. Brown tips on the leaves indicates that last winter was a bit tough on it - and if you live in a cold climate, the plants might develop more of these. Rubra means red, and boy, it's red all right but right next door to it is a lovely cordyline with yellow colouring. They are, but some species are also tolerant of the cold, so if you choose the right ones you can grow them outdoors as far south as Hobart.Ī favourite is Cordyline 'Rubra'.

The Brisbane garden in which we filmed has a tropical feel to it and this might give the impression that cordylines are a tropical plant. This means it's really pleasant underneath them in the hot summer, but what plant grows well in a low light situation? Cordylines are one plant group that really compliment the palms and like the low light conditions. Standard palms look fantastic in the garden, but they cut out much of the sunlight.

Cordyline red spike plant