I have been looking to add some more colour to my garden recently, and so have been investigating the various options available with Cordylines – as so called by Dr. B Frank Brown, in his book, ‘Cordyline: Ti Plant – King of Tropical Foliage‘.
Cordyline fruticosa (among a few other species) scream ‘tropical’, come in a profusion of colours, and are relatively easy to grow. Some other benefits of cordylines impart to the garden are their relatively low water requirements when established, wind resistance, and their small footprint in the garden, making them ideal for courtyards, smaller gardens, and potted gardens.
However, many of the C. fruticosa cultivars available are not very sun tolerant, preferring part shade for most of the day with perhaps some direct morning sun.
There are a few notable exceptions that perform well in a full sun location in the garden, and it is my hope to list some of the best ones here. This list is compiled for my subtropical garden in Brisbane, where humidity can fluctuate from very high in the middle of the warmer months to very low in cooler months – with more tropical conditions (i.e. humidity), the range of cordylines that can be grown in full sun is greatly expanded.
Without further ado, here are some varieties I have researched and are reported to be tolerant to quite a bit of sun in South East Queensland (most parts of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast etc.), if not full sun:
- C. ‘Rubra’
- C. ‘Negra’
- C. ‘Pink Diamond’
- C. ‘Early Morning Diamond’
- C. ‘Schubertii’
- C. ‘Kilauea’
- C. ‘Tropic Sunset’
- C. ‘Hilo Rainbow’
- C. ‘Firefountain’
- C. ‘Peggy Garland’
- C. ‘Rooster Tail’
- C. ‘Maize’
- C. ‘Singapore Twist’ / ‘New Guinea Fan’
- C. ‘Alba Rosea’
- C. ‘Inferno’
- C. ‘Kim’s Choice’
- C. ‘Compacta’
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and there are many others. I also plan to add varieties to this list in the future as I discover and develop familiarity with more cultivars. Please check back to see more!
Zacaconia 