Happy home dragons

Dracaena are striking foliage plants that are almost indestructible accent plants for the garden, but did you know that they are just as easy to grow as indoor plants?

There are many different dracaena but the two main types are Dracaena fragrans that is a cultivar of the corn plant with broad sword shaped leaves and Dracaena marginata, which is the true dragon tree. It has spiky, grass-like leaves that grow from a woody stem. Both are tough, easy to manage houseplants that can be pruned down if they grow too tall.

Quick care tips

• Dracaena perform best and retain their coloured leaves with medium light.
• Water when the surface of the soil feels dry. Be careful not to over water.
• Plants only need feeding with a liquid fertiliser in spring and again in summer.
• If the leaf tips go brown it could be a sign of low of humidity or over fertilising. Move them to a moister room for a while.
• You can prune them to keep them in shape, especially if they start to get spindly. Cut off yellowing or dead leaves.

Dracaena fragrans’ Lemon Lime’ and ‘Lemon Surprise’.

These are two of the most striking dracaenas. The spear shaped leaves combine lime yellow, green and cream stripes. With ‘Lemon Surprise’ the leaves have a much broader lime yellow margin and the new leaves appear to twirl as they emerge. Both plants can stand alone but also mix well with other indoor foliage plants. The young plants are compact enough for tabletops and desks but as they grow they develop woody stems. They don’t mind being cut back. Plants  retain the vivid leaf colour with medium light but are tolerant of lower light.

Dracaena fragrans’ White Jewel’

‘White Jewel’ is a bright, crisp looking foliage plant with its dark green leaves with white-and-light-green stripes. It’s an excellent contrast plant alongside other foliage plants as well as being beautiful on its own. As a garden plant it needs light shade and moist soil.

Dracaena marginata

The spiky leaved Dracaena marginata also boast a number of varieties with striped leaves or coloured leaf edges. The classic marginata features magenta red edges. There’s the deep purple pink ‘Magenta’ and ‘Kiwi’ with yellow and green striped leaves.

As they grow the plants resemble mini palm trees. When grown outdoors these dracaena can grow three metres or more, but indoor plants can be pruned to a more manageable height. Cutting back just before a leaf node can encourage the sprouting of other stems, creating a very attractive effect.

Dracaena sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo)

Lucky bamboo looks like bamboo and grows as fast as bamboo but is actually a variety of dracaena. It is also called Chinese Water Bamboo because it can grow in water or in a gravel and water filled container. It is believed to bring good luck to a household and is a popular housewarming gift.

Place plants where they receive bright indirect or filtered light. Change the water every week if the plant is growing in water or in pebbles, so that the water doesn’t become smelly. If using  gravel or pebbles make sure there is at least 10cm of water in the bottom of the container, to cover the roots. It is best to use distilled or spring water. For more inspiration visit www.lvgplant.co.za

Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee.

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