Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig Limelight'

 Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig Limelight'

The multi-branched garden planted specimen of this plant is now about three metres tall and growing under house eaves in a shady spot. It does not look half as good as the potted specimens I have pictured here which are in a greenhouse and sheltered from the elements.

 A few years back a large branch of the garden one toppled over in a storm so I cut it up into 30 cm lengths so I could propagate some new plants.

Stems cuttings from a mature plant take root quite easily though they require a free draining mix with lots of Perlite as part of the propagation mix. After a couple of years they have now grown to about 120cm in a 200 mm pot and I can almost say they thrive on neglect as they don't seem to mind a low water and fertilizer regime.

 I placed one of these indoors several months ago and though it has lost its very bright yellow leaves it still has attractive shiny pale green foliage.

With a bare trunk it has an elegant palm tree like appearance in a red ceramic container.

Outdoors the leaves rarely stay unblemished by strong winds or insects.

I am reminded of that other Dracaena (fragrans) which gets shredded by grasshoppers when grown outdoors in a warm climate. Many so called indoor plants just don't make the transition well when planted as garden specimens ,though some rejoice in their freedom and turn into monsters such as Ficus/'Rubber Plants'.