Cordylines enhance any garden
-give value for money
STANDARD palm trees look fantastic in a garden, but eliminate much sunlight, creating a need for them to be complemented by a plant that grows well in such low-light situations. Fortunately, the palm-like Cordyline is one plant group that really fits this bill. The name Cordyline comes from the Greek word “kordyle”, meaning “club”, a reference to the enlarged underground stems of this popular garden plant.
The genus Cordyline includes between 15 and 20 species of woody evergreen shrubs from the Western Pacific area, including Eastern Australia; New Zealand; Polynesia; Hawaii; and South-East Asia, including India. Six of the species are from New Zealand.

Riot of colours
The Cordyline’s range of colours is absolutely stunning, and can enhance the colour scheme of any garden. The colours are at their brightest when the plant is grown in half shade. To enhance the colours even more, professional gardeners ever so often give the plant foliage spray with a fertiliser containing both potash and iron in the growing period.
Local horticulturalists, the # 1 Plant Shop in Sheriff Street, Georgetown, have available four species of the Cordyline. A favourite there is Cordyline ‘Rubra’, which means ‘red boy’. But right next to that is a lovely Cordyline with yellow colouring.
Other colour combinations include green and one that is almost burnt orange. There is also a Cordyline that is green and bright pink.

Suitability
With their smoothly-edged leaves and absence of terminal spines, Cordylines are suitable for planting near paths or in patio planters. Moreover, the leaves keep their colour all year round.
The plant grows to a height of approximately eight feet, but can be cultivated at a smaller size with adequate pruning.
Cordylines are widely used for landscaping, and look their most beautiful when planted as a group. An added advantage is that Cordylines are easy to propagate — simply cut the plant in three, replant the head and the middle part of the stem in the ground, or plant in a pot. Just push the cutting that’s left — about 15 centimetres — into a potting mix or some soil, and before long, there will be three Cordylines for the price of one.
Interested gardeners can call the # 1 Plant Shop (Telephone#227-8094) for more details on the Cordyline, including the prices for the four varieties available for sale.