Thanks Ron, that is interesting about deer being repelled. Something to think about.

Hi all, I love the wonderful Cordyline fruticosa I've seen on this thread. I was thinking of getting some nice ones from Hawaii so I wanted to ask if anyone has had any problems with the material imported from Hawaii? Im primarily worried about viruses like "ti ringspot" which have been a big problem there, primarily problematic in the production of "Ti-leaves" for consumption but by extension ornamentals would be affected too.

I will add the PHD file so things are clearer. I grow a small select number of C. fruticosa cultivars and live in a very very humid wet tropical climate and so far have no problem with viruses. This climate is apparently the best for growing C.fruticosa but also the most conducive to problems on Hawaii. The vectors often being insects, so if I introduce infected material it could spread like wild fire. Problem is not knowing if growers are taking the required measures, mostly chemical to prevent these diseases. Plants often will grow normal just shed prematurely leaving quite scrappy plants behind, so although unsightly growers can continue producing and selling diseased plants.

To leave on a high note here is a very interesting C.fruticosa cultivar I picked up a few months ago in Bangkok. It's still quite small but already showing some very interesting colour. Apparently the leaves get much bigger, broader. The combination of lime green centre stripe sometimes with a white stripe down the very centre and broad red margins are extremely attractive. The red and green persists in the older leaves just becoming somewhat darker. The outline or form of the plant is what caught my eye initially as it's very different, the leaves have a lovely arch to them followed by an upturn at the tip, they also constantly ripple in the breeze. Reminds a lot of the lovely Thai temple roofs. So I call it "Temple roof" as there was no Thai name.

If anyone knows of any exporters of ornamental cultivars on Hawaii who follow the very strict cultural protocols similar to the ones used for producing "Ti-leaves" for "consumption" I would love to know.

Thanks Fanny

Oops I will have to add the picture a bit later as I don't have the speed required to download at the moment, will take a few hours to get it ready.....but the PHD file should download as I already have it on the desk top. not sure it worked, here's the link in case..... Oops again new members may not post links.....heres part of the F***###!!! link. Yes I fully understand I could be spam the ham. So you will have to add the www part.

ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/news/articles/V19-KawateEtAl-TiLeafDiseases.pdf

Hi and welcome, Fanny I did order two different lovely Ti cultivars from Hawaii a year ago in the spring. They have done well and haven't had any disease problems that I've noticed.

Even if they had, I doubt I'd have blamed it on the grower, since we have every plant disease, fungus and bug known to man here in Florida anyway.

I'll post some pictures of them tomorrow.

Hi Elaine! Thanks so much for the welcome!

I will have to download the pictures tomorrow from the office, I don't have the speed required here in Jungle Cottage, takes too long then stalls. The office has broadband so it's a whizz.

Yep I think so do we have all the diseases known to mankind, however.......my Cordylines are lovely and clean I don't even have brown tips. The interesting thing though on the other side of the water, a short ferry ride away there is a large clump of the big wild green Cordyline fruticosa (love the name, very fruity) and it always looks terrible. I took a drive for a closer inspection thinking I could take a few cuttings but no, definitely diseased right up the wazoo. Never dead but the leaves always look terrible, brown streaked, yellow spotty with brown patches and the not terribly old leaves prematurely yellow. Also what looks to me a lot like rust, bright red spots with yellow haloes, on the leaf margins too. Its been there for the longest time, surviving even spreading but not nice. Even more interesting than this is not too far from where I live is an old abandoned house now covered in strangler figs and dense bush and there is a clump of the same Cordyline. It's lovely fresh dark green, shiny and not a mark. I never wanted to go in there as it has a reputation for some pretty large snakes, but once I tried and was attacked by swarms, literally swarms of Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes that spread dengue. Think there is some kind of well in the middle of the house because the mosquitoes just kept coming at me from the centre.

There it is. On Hawaii it was only in 2010 that these diseases became an issue. "Ti" leaves without blemishes are used for ornamental purposes, the slightly blemished ones for food production. That was until the blemishes, spotting and brown streaking became so severe that these were no longer acceptable for food processing by the then market standards. There is control of the various diseases as a result but Im not terribly sure about the ornamental garden growers, quite possibly, though if they're only selling cuttings, blemished plants won't be an issue as the buyer couldn't possibly know.........

Elaine who did you order through because it sounds like yours were fine! It could be more prevalent on certain Islands. Im sure they have strict rules about plants moving around themselves. But it's not exactly something you want to ask is it? Are your plants diseased? I know they need a phyto to be transported to The Big Island so maybe irradiation cleans them up.....possibly even producing some interesting cultivars along the way ha ha ha.

Today I found a lovely old cultivar in a very very old Camellia park. It's one I very much treasure but thought lost to cultivation. Also never seen it on the internet not even on the International Cordyline society site. I had it myself but through this or that project in the garden (think it was a pond construction) actually managed to also lose it. It's what I call "big ginger". Lovely big, wide, long upright leaves slightly squarish at the end, possibly the biggest leaves I've ever seen on a Cordyline, quite thin leaves with nice ribbing, strong leaf stalks. Strong grower too with nice thick stems that shoot from the ground. The leaves are completely ginger back and front and when the sun shines through they are tremendous. The leaf stalks are a beautiful rosy rosy red. Well in my search everywhere I remember this plant growing they had completely vanished and no one seems to even remember it, so I stopped looking. Then today I was watching an informal football match on the green between Sri Lanka and Cambodian construction workers and in the distance in a neat lawn in the middle of a perfect circle of palms was a stand of old ginger radiating in the low light. It was at the back of the changing rooms so averting my eyes as startled naked bodies flashed I managed to gain access to the small park after the match was over. The park was mostly just full of ancient Camellias on little shady hillocks and the palm circle lawn in the middle like a sunken garden. One or two lovely old old Croton varieties too which I will most definitely go back for one of these days. Long story but managed to find a very obliging cleaning lady with secateurs and get a lovely entire long thick stem with top and cause mayhem in the changing rooms again as I needed an empty water bottle to put it in. Surprising how obliging naked men can be, never seen so many bottles appear Definitely think Cambodia had the edge by quite a significant margin but then what do I know about football.

what some people will go through for a peek at a plant. Bet those athletes were surprised.

I know they have to certify that the Ti cuttings were taken above 18" in Hawaii. Perhaps this disease is fungal and spores could splash onto lower leaves? I have not run into this problem despite having had Ti cuttings imported. I believe Elaine and I used the same grower, Vintage Green, on the big island.

Let us know where you are located Fanny, it always helps to understand about different climates. You click on the little person in the upper right corner and add your location or anything that explains your growing conditions. We have folks from all over the world here and all share information willingly.

Welcome Fanny!
Many of my Ti have come out of HI and so far I have not had a problem with any viruses. I keep my new cuttings away from my established plants for the first 2 years just in case.
You may have heard the name Fred Stone (Special Ti Nursery) who is a breeder of Ti in HI. You will have to write:
Fred Stone/Deborah Ward
P.O. Box 1430
Kurtistown Hi,96760
Looking forward to photos of your Ti.

This one stays at the top of my favorite list 'Red Bull'

That one is stunning, Scott. I sure hope the breeder got a nice fat endorsement cheque from the Red Bull drink people.

Fanny, yes I did order from Vintage Green farms which is on the Big Island of Hawaii. Wonderful plants, great service and very reasonable shipping charges - Alice said that they negotiated a good deal with FedEx for shipments out of Hawaii because so many of their planes were returning to the mainland empty. They are a very small business with limited quantities, but that's their only drawback.

These are my two Hawaiian Cordies, Pele's Smoke and Ballerina:

ScotTi said: This one stays at the top of my favorite list 'Red Bull'

Unbelievable that "red bull" (Hi Scot) is exactly, if not extremely close to my big ginger!!! Lovely lovely thing and certainly one of my absolute favs. If its enormous thats it! Its been around here for years and years. I first saw it in the early 80's myself. It was one of the stalwart Cordylines here, along with a shocking pink and what appears to be Red Lady, Cemetery and a brilliant narrow leaf red, the best red by far I've ever seen ......besides perhaps one in Singapore at the Orchid Garden entrance which was red and black streaks, medium size.

Here is my new C.fruticosa, sorry the picture absolutely doesn't do it justice and I have a better top shot but that will have to wait for tomorrows download. It was also dusk, but It shows the form quite nicely though. It's interesting because I've never seen one with a stripe down the centre of the leaf like this, also the form is different which I like. Its in its pot in the nursery section here, I will grow it up tall so I can get cuttings to stick in the garden and make a decent show. It also has a bright white line down the very centre of the topside which you can't see in this picture.....

Ps thanks for tips on exporters Elaine and Scot and Hi Ardesia! Those plants look fine Elaine.......Im probably being over cautious but I've been burnt a few times. Somehow I managed to import Ficus White fly which was truly horrible. Luckily Im very isolated and managed to invent a solution quite quickly (potassium sulphate) and don't have it any more but it was touch and go. I still can't pass one of my a ficus creations without whacking a branch or two to see if a little cloud erupts.

To be honest I saw a few photos of some cordylines on offer and they didn't look their absolute best, of course it can be a seasonal thing, dryness etc but it got me thinking that I should be a little careful. Yes things are around but its always best to keep them around and not at home if at all possible right.

Next week Im going back to Bangkok again so I will keep Cordylines in my mind. I have managed to get a few varieties there that have come via Hawaii. It is always nice to be able to inspect the plants and growing conditions first hand, though. Avoid anything iffy

Fanny said:

Unbelievable that "red bull" (Hi Scot) is exactly, if not extremely close to my big ginger!!! Lovely lovely thing and certainly one of my absolute favs. If its enormous thats it! Its been around here for years and years. I first saw it in the early 80's myself. It was one of the stalwart Cordylines here, along with a shocking pink and what appears to be Red Lady, Cemetery and a brilliant narrow leaf red, the best red by far I've ever seen ......besides perhaps one in Singapore at the Orchid Garden entrance which was red and black streaks, medium size.

Here is my new C.fruticosa, sorry the picture absolutely doesn't do it justice and I have a better top shot but that will have to wait for tomorrows download. It was also dusk, but It shows the form quite nicely though. It's interesting because I've never seen one with a stripe down the centre of the leaf like this, also the form is different which I like. Its in its pot in the nursery section here, I will grow it up tall so I can get cuttings to stick in the garden and make a decent show. It also has a bright white line down the very centre of the topside which you can't see in this picture.....

Fanny, They are all great and healthy looking plants in your photo. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Scot. The big dark one at the back is going through some changes. It flowered and set fruit which I let ripen then pushed into the ground and they sent up plantlets. Then when I cut off the old flower spike a new plantlet grew on the flower stalk. So I let that mature a bit then cut it off and pushed that into the ground however the whole plant then decided to branch into three top shoots and start shooting from the ground (three shoots) same time. So the big lower leaves are starting to senesce at moment, very slowly while the top branching is going on. I will cut the whole three headed branch off and stick that in a pot up to it's neck as its getting a bit tall for pots with our monsoon winds. Then I will have a good length of thick cane left to chop up and stick in the ground to finally make a display in the garden, two year project since I bought it. It's been a very fast grower.

Scot I wonder if you know what this one (pictured) will turn out to be? I bought a tray of them, quite tiny plants and planted them in a pot. Box store special, but quite pricey, 80$ each. They were quite horrible (ha ha ha) a sort of muddy stripy happening but I realise that plants often only come into there own as they mature so still bought them. Only a week or two in the full, sunshine and they're showing some lovely colour. Do you think its a mini? It looks a lot like what they call "Pink Champion" in Australia, "Pink passion" elsewhere and even "Glowing Electra". Not sure hope its a biggish one! I cut back the ubiquitous Diamond Frost Euphorbia to make room it had taken over the whole pot. Im not an absolute size queen but I quite like the short or minis to have wide broad leaves like "Francis" does.

I will send the top view of "Temple" tomorrow morning.

Ahh here is a much better picture I managed to download, its also in the sunshine, more or less. Looks promising I think.

Beautiful pics, Fanny! I love all ti plants, but don't have any at the moment. We used to live in the Marshall Islands and I had a lot of them there.

'Temple' is striking and I like the top view, you can really see the colors that way.

Here are my 'Bangkok Gold' Ti's. They are recovering from an attack by a rabbit that ate every leaf. It was originally one large stick, ordered from Vintage Green, and Scott advised me to divide it. Thanks Scott,I now have two plants which I think will be very nice soon. Photos were taken in the early morning, I think the color might show up better if there was more light.

Thats a very interesting one Alice! I will look it up sure it becomes something completely different as it gets larger. There is also one called Bangkok Rainbow, think I will get it. It's difficult telling what they will end up looking like from small plants unless you have seen the adult form.

Im amazed you can get things sent to the stunningly beautiful Saint Helena, well done. Did it come via America......Is it warm enough for Cordyline fruticosa? Im sure C. australis would probably love your climate too. I've noticed fruticosa gets its best best colours in our winter when its cool nights and warm days, does something to the colour chemicals that makes them pop. I get quite jealous as we can't grow australis, and suddenly there are some very nice colours, just rots from the heat and humidity, falls over one piece. yep tried a few times. Idjiots keep importing them and selling them and big ones too.

Must try and work out how to put my name up in the right hand corner like that....someone sold the little man in the right hand corner .......honestly Im barely digital never mind computer literate, I can't even work a dish washer.

Just look for the little blue person in the upper task bar. That is your personal profile. Once you click on that it will give you options to enter your name and location.

Speaking of location, the St. Helena Island where Alice lives is in the US, not the one in the south Atlantic where Napoleon died.

Fanny said:Thanks Scot. The big dark one at the back is going through some changes. It flowered and set fruit which I let ripen then pushed into the ground and they sent up plantlets. Then when I cut off the old flower spike a new plantlet grew on the flower stalk. So I let that mature a bit then cut it off and pushed that into the ground however the whole plant then decided to branch into three top shoots and start shooting from the ground (three shoots) same time. So the big lower leaves are starting to senesce at moment, very slowly while the top branching is going on. I will cut the whole three headed branch off and stick that in a pot up to it's neck as its getting a bit tall for pots with our monsoon winds. Then I will have a good length of thick cane left to chop up and stick in the ground to finally make a display in the garden, two year project since I bought it. It's been a very fast grower.

Scot I wonder if you know what this one (pictured) will turn out to be? I bought a tray of them, quite tiny plants and planted them in a pot. Box store special, but quite pricey, 80$ each. They were quite horrible (ha ha ha) a sort of muddy stripy happening but I realise that plants often only come into there own as they mature so still bought them. Only a week or two in the full, sunshine and they're showing some lovely colour. Do you think its a mini? It looks a lot like what they call "Pink Champion" in Australia, "Pink passion" elsewhere and even "Glowing Electra". Not sure hope its a biggish one! I cut back the ubiquitous Diamond Frost Euphorbia to make room it had taken over the whole pot. Im not an absolute size queen but I quite like the short or minis to have wide broad leaves like "Francis" does.

I will send the top view of "Temple" tomorrow morning.

Fanny, The first name that popped in my mind when I saw your photo was 'Electra'. They are still young and still have time to change.
Here is my old 'Electra' (photo) one of my favorites as it tends to stay shorter and always looks good.
I have had a big problem the last few weeks with snails feasting on my Ti. Way to much rain here.

Yes, it seems there are a lot of St. Helena's, ours is named for Santa Elena, the first colonial capital of Spanish Florida. It was founded in 1566 in what is now South Carolina.

According to horticultural zone maps we appear to be in a cooler zone but being a sea island, surrounded by water that is warmed by the Gulf Stream in the winter, we don't get the typical cold weather mainland South Carolina sometimes gets.

C australis are very hardy here and C. fruticosa are *usually* hardy in microclimates. I always take cuttings in the fall, just in case we have an unusually cold winter.