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maleko_gw

Cordylines and Phormiums

maleko
18 years ago

I love the brightly colored vareties of these plants but finding a US nursery that sells them retail has been just about impossible. Lots of UK, NZ and Australian nurseries carry them but I don't know if it would be possible to import them without a huge hassle. I live in northern CA in zone a 9/10 border area with almost no frost but Ti plants don't fair well left outside all winter here, especially the colored ones.

So the colored varities of C. australis are my first choice. The red and yellow varieties of phormium are my second.

Does any one know of a U.S. nursery online that sells the colored varieties of C. autralis or phormium? Or how hard it is to import plants from outside the US?

Comments (11)

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    18 years ago

    Check Nurseries in the Pacific Northwest. Portland and Seattle area nurseries often carry a good selection of these.

  • kerrican2001
    18 years ago

    Yeah, I think in the Pacific Northwest, similar climate to the UK, you'll find more of them, because people are more into them. But we found some great colored phormiums (at least the pink striped ones and a deep purple one) from Perez Nursery in Brentwood (central valley Brentwood, not L.A.). They also carried the regular cordylines but not sure about the colored ones. They have quite a selection of tropical and palms -- even a huge growing ground with acres of queens in the ground. Service is not stellar but prices and selection are great. Check them out!

  • SUSANDALLAS
    18 years ago

    Do you have a Home Depot? The ones in Dallas always carry the bright pink & purple striped ones. I love these plants. They are gorgeous planted next to banana plants.

  • michaelzz
    18 years ago

    both these plants do well in Northern Ca... depending on where you are many of the nurseries in the SF Bay area carry them ,as well as many of the Big BOX stores ..ine went thru 18 degrees in Santa Rosa and didn't flinch .. they get very large there

  • maleko
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I am in Sacramento. Don't get to SFBay area very often. The big box stores around here don't carry them, but I have a relative in Longview WA who I have asked to look up there for me.Also found Red Sensation on a website for about $15, but what I really want is Sundance. Have not found it in the US yet though.
    Thanks everybody

  • goldpianogarden
    18 years ago

    I bought my 'sundance' from Cistus Nursery. You can find their contact info at www.cistus.com

  • maleko
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I looked them up online. Thet list C. austrais but no variety names. I have a nephew who lives near them,I think. I ask him to stop by in person.

  • Libbe
    18 years ago

    Monrovia has a great one called Festival Grass. They are evergreen and can take sun or partial shade. I have 5.

  • maleko
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Two years aqo I bought two little 4 inch plants at the grocery store, I thought they wer posssibly young cordyline australis. They grew well as house plants and I eventualy planted them outdoors. They are about 2 feet tall now, with short, dark green, rounded leaves with purplish new growth. It turns out that they are a sport of C. stricta, (which I have a lot of as well) called glauca, but they are much better looking than the parent species, almost like miniature ti plants. Now if they have purplish new growth that means that it should be possible to produce an all purple leafed variety and maybe other colors. Maybe there is hope for a colorful, hardy, small scale cordyline suitlable to grow as a house plant or in gardens to zone 8. Is anyone else growing C. stricta glauca?

  • jbcarr
    18 years ago

    Heronswood nursery on the Olympic Pennisula in WA has a large selection of various phoriums.

  • surfgirl21
    18 years ago

    Swansons Nursery in Seattle has a great selection of striped colored phormiums. They have them planted all over the nursery in flower beds with 10' windmill palms. It's quite a sight.

    Sarah

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