The sturdy dracaena
Well fellow gardeners, it looks like we are in for a stormy September. Gardeners looking for a sturdy, tall, leafy and tropical looking plant that is also mostly pest free, will enjoy a dracaena. Also called “dragon plant,” an ancient Greek interpretation.
For this plant’s scientific classifications, check your computer; there are over 40 species listed. In addition, several are for indoor plants. You will recognize many, such as the white-striped dracaena deremensia, “warnecke,” or the stately “corn plant,” fragrans massahgeana. These plants enjoy a low to bright light area in homes and offices and in plenty of vacation resorts. The warnecke being a more shrubby style of plant.
I am going to talk up the dracaena marginata, “tricolor,” and the red margined, dracaena marginata. These two “dragon trees” are great for outside, in part shade or full sun. Plant right into the soil. They will grow moderately slow and up to 15 feet tall. When you purchase them in smaller pots there will be several canes planted together. Plant them the same way.
I have one that is over 15 years old and is indeed 15 feet or more tall. When planted, not by me, the planter used several canes of the usual plain dark green plant as well as several canes of the tricolor variety. It grows next to the pool cage and does block some of those cold north winds that blow into the lanai during the winter months. Several other groups are inside the lanai, in soil and are the tricolor.
I have no idea why these plants do so well in the 90 degree heat and sun and also tolerate our temperature dips in winter. One of the tricolors has light shade all the time and the other group has full sun all the time. The tricolors only grow about 8 feet tall.
Their care is not a problem. I just sprinkle Osocote around when I do plants near them. In a dry spell I will make sure they get watered well, once a week. Good drainage necessary. There are times during the dry spells that the plants on the lanai will have some scale. I watch them and as soon as I find a couple of spores under a leaf or two, I just pull them off. I am not always watching, so there have been times I pulled off a lot of leaves. This not a real problem because the canes leaf back quickly. Neem Insecticide Oil can be used.
To prune a dracaena, just clip off wherever you want to, in the late spring. You can control the shape that way. Wherever you do a cut, the cane will usually start up two canes. I always take that into consideration as to what shape I will be trying to plan.
You can also weigh a cane down with a small stone tied to it about halfway along the cane. The tip of the cane will then turn up towards the light and will have a curve as it grows.
Gardeners who like to transplant cuttings, this is your plant. Just stick a cutting into some light soil mix, water it well and it will grow on its own. You do not need a small pencil size cutting. A larger cane will do well. I remove most of the leaves on a larger cutting. When you pot cuttings up you want to put several in the same pot, or just cut several at one time and do it then.
End of summer season for gardeners. Last chance to trim back last year’s Christmas poinsettia. Trim and shape no more than a third. Dig and divide cannas and crinum lilies. Clean out old tired flower beds. Deadhead, or cut back, or just get a fresh supply of marigolds. You can still plant caladium bulbs, pinch back coleus and stake new trees. No more trimming on gardenia bushes. Tree roses can be trimmed. Remember it will be dry and hot between tropical storms.
We can answer gardening questions, e-mail to sbutts@breezenewspapers.com.
H. Jean Shields
Past president
Garden Club of Cape Coral