Ti Plant Cordyline fruticosa Rubra (Cordyline terminalis)

Rubra is the deep burgundy red form of the tropical ti plant, with broad soft strappy leaves held in a loose open head on a slim cane that lifts as it gains height. The colour is what sells it, a red that stays saturated on new and old leaves rather than fading to bronze, and it carries across a bed at a distance. It is planted as a feature through warm coastal and subtropical gardens, massed under palms and frangipanis, and grown in pots on covered patios everywhere else.

Getting the red right

Light drives the colour. Part shade and morning sun keep the red rich and the leaf broad, and brighter light deepens it further, so a well lit position is worth chasing. The failure most people hit is scorch. In a hot dry inland garden, or against a west facing wall, harsh afternoon sun bleaches the colour out and burns crisp patches through the middle of the leaf that never recover, and it can happen in a single February afternoon. Filtered light, or sun until midday and shade after it, is the position to aim for. Soil should be rich, composted, mulched and free draining, kept moist through summer. Being tropical, it wants warmth with humidity behind it: coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales suit it in the ground, and a sheltered Sydney or Perth courtyard will hold it as long as the hot afternoon sun is kept off, while further south it belongs in a pot that moves under cover before winter. On potted plants, crisp brown leaf tips are usually fluoride and salt building up from tap water and fertiliser, so flush the pot with a long slow soak every few months.

Rubra or Negra

Its opposite number is Cordyline fruticosa Negra, the near black selection of the same species, with identical culture and the same intolerance of cold. Rubra is the one to choose when the colour has to be visible from across the garden or against a dark fence, where Negra sinks into the background and stops working. Negra is the better pick inside a bright busy scheme that needs depth and weight. Neither of them holds colour in a dim indoor corner, which is where most potted ti plants are lost. Where the position is shaded and cool rather than bright and warm, neither holds up, and Cordyline stricta is the green leafed clumping alternative that genuinely enjoys those conditions.

Cutting back leggy canes and feeding

Old canes go bare at the bottom and lean out of the pot or the bed. Cut them back hard in late spring or early summer while the weather is warm, taking them to whatever height suits the planting, and they reshoot from below within weeks. The offcuts strike easily in damp mix, so one leggy plant becomes several. Feed through the growing season with a slow release fertiliser in spring topped up in midsummer, or liquid feed monthly for plants in pots, and ease right off through winter. Repot every couple of years into fresh mix. More options in low maintenance.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 6 sizes, from 125mm up to 400mm, priced from $16.95 to $199.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to low water gardens.