Thursday, September 5, 2013

Cordyline Cha Cha is my favorite plant in the garden, this week...

That’s it right there in the center, sort of reaching out octopus-like to caress the agave dish planters...

What’s not to love? Strappy foliage that changes from shades of pink/apricot/brown to yellow/green, a manageable size (so far) and it’s reminiscent of a phormium. Oh ya, that hardiness issue is a problem…only being hardy to 20-25F.

Mine's been in the ground since mid summer of 2012. When the first blooming arm of the Echium wildpretii x rocket was removed I ended up with an empty spot in the garden (oh no!) and I remembered these beauties from a visit to Home Depot a couple of months earlier. Luckily they had a one or two left (still mislabeled as Cordyline 'cherry sensation') and I grabbed one, planning to treat it as an annual, but it lived through last winters mild conditions. Here's an image from when I first spotted them at the orange box store...

According to San Marcos Growers: “This plant is part of a series called The Dancing Series with varieties 'Can Can', 'Cha Cha’, 'Polka', 'Salsa' and 'Jive'. They are the result of breeding performed by Peter Fraser of Growing Spectrum Nursery in Waikato, New Zealand”...the Dancing Series!!! Who names these things???

The stats:
  • Evergreen perennial from New Zealand
  • Eventual size: 3-4ft tall and wide
  • Happy in sun or shade (although I wonder if the color would suffer in shade)
  • Medium water needs and winter hardy to 20-25F, although I did find one site listing it as hardy to 15F, which would be nice!

Do you have a favorite plant in your garden this week? Please share it with us in the comments below!

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

28 comments:

  1. You have a gorgeous fave this week! Here's to another mild __________ this year! Here's a link to my favorite this week.
    http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/euonymus-latifolius-my-favorite-plant.html

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    1. In fact may "it" be so mild that "it" doesn't even happen! Oh who am I kidding...

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  2. Pachycereus marginatus for me!! http://cactguy.tumblr.com/post/60362632810/pachycereus-marginatus-mexican-fencepost-the

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  3. To be fair, those leaves do look a bit like they're dancing, don't you think? It's a beauty, for sure.
    Here's mine: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/3292

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    1. Well maybe, but only when the wind blows. Thanks for joining in with a fav ricki!

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  4. Ok, so I remember when you did that post on the orange box store. I got intrigued by cordyline's. I got one this year and I don't know what I've done, but it's quite unhappy. Too much watering? I can't tell. But, I did admire the foliage in the beginning. :( Here's my favorite plant of the week: http://rainydaygardener.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-favorite-plant-this-week-agastache.html

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    1. Perhaps too much water...maybe not enough sun? Maybe it just wants to give you more space for more gorgeous orange agastaches?

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  5. Quite a co-incidence, just saw that Cordyline at the local garden center, where I was buying...well, I'll get to that eventually. Yours looks good. Here the plain bronze ones retain better color with some afternoon shade, but perhaps full sun is safer for your winters?

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    1. Indeed, and our full sun is rarely that powerful. Can't wait to see what you were buying...and glad to read you felt good enough to get out and shop!

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  6. "Cha Cha' is a beauty! I think you should get the whole dancing series...

    My own contribution this week is also a Cordyline but he's a 'Renegade' and doesn't dance. Here's my link: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-favorite-plant-this-week-cordyline.html

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    1. I can imagine that would allow for a humorous garden tour..."and here are my dancing cordylines..."

      Your featured cordy is a stunner, I love that wide (for a cordy) heavily veined foliage!

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  7. Oh that is a stunner. Whats not to love about any cordyline for that matter. It has much of the colorings of phormium. I strongly believe in the zonal denial cordyline plantings!! I'll be posting a favourite tomorrow.

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    1. Can't wait to find out what your favorite is Louis...

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  8. Ahhh, some breeders have been watching dancing with the stars. I have a Home Depot Cordyline, all dark maroon leaves. This is its third summer (full sum) in a container. What's not to like?
    -Ray

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    1. Ha! I didn't think of that (not being a TV watcher myself). I agree though, what's not to like?

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  9. Cha Cha Cha! I love the name!

    I was about to say it reminded me of Phormiums but you got to it first (great minds think alike) :)

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    1. I keep seeing my nephew snapping his hips back and forth as he says "cha cha cha"...his way to end the lines of the "happy birthday" song. I too love the name (although I will continue to make fun of the "dancing series"...

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  10. That is a pretty plant!
    Here is my favourite plant for this week :)
    http://descubriendohojas.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/mi-planta-favorita-en-el-jardin-esta.html

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    1. Thanks for joining in the fun Lisa, a flower on a colocasia is a special thing!

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  11. That is a pretty Corydline. I mistake them for Phormiums all the time. My favorite plant this week is a Petunia. Here's the link: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-favorite-plant-in-garden-right-now.html

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  12. I love the sunset colors of the Cordyline, pretty much my favorite plant/flower color at the moment, along with blue. My favorite plant of the week is Gardenia 'Frost Proof'.

    http://weedingonthewildside.blogspot.com/2013/09/gardenia-frost-proof-my-favorite-this.html

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    1. Ah! You're killing me with that gardenia! Sean Hogan (Cistus) gave me me of those a couple of years ago and while I've managed to keep it alive it's not happy enough to have bloomed for me...

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  13. I LOVE your agave dish planters. Where did you get them?

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    1. Thanks Carrie, actually I made them. Here's the post about that: http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2013/07/percolating.html

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  14. What a gorgeous plant.
    I love the first photo of your garden, it's always so immaculate. It's as if weeds don't exist there!

    Here is my favourite this week: http://crmbsgrdn.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/my-favourite-plant-in-garden-this-week.html

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    1. Oh man...trust me, there are weeds! Mostly the evil oxalis. Okay, excited and clicking over to see what your favorite is!

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