A Houseplant with Leaves as Colorful as Flowers

It's tough to keep houseplants flowering indoors year-round unless you have a sunroom; and even if you do, it's still a challenge. How would you like to grow a non-flowering houseplant that adds vibrant splashes of color to your interior decor. Hawaiian Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa 'Florica') gives flowering plants a run for their money ?… and it does it with its brilliantly colored foliage!

Intensely Hued Foliage All Year!
Wait 'til you see these leaves '– they are intensely colored! Unlike flowering houseplants that bloom for a while and then typically require a rest period before flowering again, Hawaiian Ti Plant retains its color year-round. You'll see vivid shades of hot-pink, pale-pink, red, maroon, and green in thrilling color combinations. Some of the leaves may have a band of fuchsia running down the central midrib, and other leaves may be solid fuchsia. Still other leaves may have a deep-maroon cast against green. No two leaves are identical. And we're not talking about small leaves '– Hawaiian Ti Plant's leaves typically grow 12 inches long (or longer on older plants), so you can see how this plant creates a big impact statement!

A Tropical Plant That's Perfectly Adapted as a Houseplant
Hawaiian Ti's native habitat is diverse. This plant hails from Southeast Asia, Eastern Australia, Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands. Even though its native habitat includes different corners of the world, Hawaiian Ti Plant will be right at home with you! After you order your new plant, all you have to do is select a beautiful pot for it and find that perfect spot in your home where you want to add a touch of color!

You can also transform the look of your entire office by adding a potted Hawaiian Ti Plant. If you spend more hours in your office than you care to admit, you may as well enhance your work environment as much as possible. Ti provides a lovely enhancement! And if you own a business, a grouping of Ti's potted plants will seriously bump up the wow factor for your visitors '– whether you place them in the lobby/reception area, the conference room, or your personal office.

It Will Even Grow Nicely in Your Yard!
Hawaiian Ti Plant is a perennial plant only in the very limited frost-free regions of USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 10 and 11. This includes locations in southern Florida as well as some areas of California and Texas. If you live in this plant's perennial range, you can grow it year-round as a landscape plant, where it's better suited to shadier locations.

You May See Bold Purple Flowers
Although Ti is prized as a colorful foliage plant, don't be surprised if you see occasional flowers. They're tiny, and they don't command center stage, but they're beautiful in their own right. The blooms emerge in small clusters, painted with the irresistible color of purple '– a striking complement to the foliage colors! Even if you never see flowers, you will not be disappointed. Buy Hawaiian Ti Plant for its stunning foliage, and consider any flowers that may appear as a little bonus.

Other Growing Tips
Your Hawaiian Ti Plant has few needs to flourish in your home or garden. Use this checklist to provide the best of care for your plant:

Light. One of the primary reasons Ti is easily adaptable as a houseplant is its need for bright light but not direct sun. Too much direct sun can discolor or burn its leaves, which are the prominent feature of this plant. If it receives insufficient light '– we don't recommend dense shade or dark rooms '– the color will lose its brilliance. So the happy medium is to place your plant in a very brightly lit room. If you have a sunny window that supplies filtered morning sun, such as through window blinds, that's another good location.

Temperature. Look around when you find that perfect spot for your potted Hawaiian Ti Plant. Although it likes warm spots, don't locate it near a heat vent, which can dry the leaves. Likewise, don't place the pot near a cold, drafty window or door.

Humidity. Ideally, Hawaiian Ti Plant flourishes in humid conditions. One way to achieve this is to group potted plants together, which increases the humidity around them. You can also set the pot on a tray filled with pebbles. Fill the tray with water that stops just below the bottom of the pot. As the water evaporates, it provides a humid environment for your plant.

Water. If you can keep the soil lightly moist without keeping it soggy, your Ti plant will respond favorably. In warm climates (outside) or warm rooms (inside) during the active growing season, you'll need to water your plant more than during the winter months.

Good drainage. The solution to keeping the soil moist is not to pot your plant in a container without a drainage hole, because Hawaiian Ti Plant must be planted in soil that drains freely. Otherwise, the excess water can rot the plant's roots, which will lead to its death.

Soil. A preferred choice is a commercial potting mix that's blended specially for houseplants. Hawaiian Ti Plant likes a rich, organic soil mix.

Fertilizer. During the plant's active growing season '– spring through fall '– apply a water-soluble fertilizer, which is diluted to half-strength, every two to three weeks. If you use a potting mix, check the label to see if it also contains a slow-release fertilizer. If it does, skip the water-soluble fertilizer '– your plant is good to go! After its first full growing year, when the potting mix fertilizer is spent, you can begin using a water-soluble fertilizer.

Pruning. Ti does not need pruning to maintain its full shape. As the plant matures, the lower leaves naturally die. You can remove these to keep your plant looking neat and tidy.

Repotting. Choose a pot that's twice the size of your plant's root ball, and you won't have to repot it for several years. At that time, the potting mix will need to be refreshed. If your plant has outgrown its pot, move it into a larger pot and use fresh potting mix. The best time to repot your Hawaiian Ti Plant is in early spring.

Keep the Leaves Healthy
We want to let you in on an insider's secret. Some plants, such as Hawaiian Ti Plant, are susceptible to a condition called fluoride toxicity, which can burn leaf tips and leaf margins and cause them to turn yellow or brown. This browning is usually attributed to a dry environment; in fact, Ti does benefit from a humid atmosphere. But typically, brown leaf tips and margins are a symptom of fluoride toxicity, which is easy to prevent. Most municipal water companies add fluoride to drinking water, and it's this fluoride that is not healthy for some plants. Plant experts recommend using distilled water or rain water, or filling a watering container with your tap water and letting it sit a day or two before using it to water your houseplants. This allows the fluorine gas to be released into the atmosphere.

An Occasional Dusting
You know how dust accumulates on household items over time. It can also accumulate on leaves. From time to time, take a damp cloth and wipe down the foliage, or use a spray bottle to mist the leaves and wipe them with a dry cloth. The leaves will gleam again after this simple procedure restores their luster. We don't advise using various leaf-shine products, because they can clog the leaf pores '– simple water is best!

Polynesian Influence
Polynesian people took this original plant species to Hawaii, where it was '– and still is '– called the Hawaiian Ti plant. Florica Cordyline is a cultivar '– a cultivated variety '– of this species plant, which is more brightly colored and of a more compact size. The original species has green leaves, and you may recognize the leaf shape when we tell you the Ti plant's leaves are traditionally used to make hula skirts!

Good Luck with Your Plant
"Good luck" '– that's what this plant symbolizes in some cultures. In fact, it's called the Good Luck Plant in some tropical regions where it's grown as an evergreen shrub to symbolize good fortune. But you won't need good luck to grow Hawaiian Ti Plant because it's such an easy plant to maintain!