Garden Guru: New Hawaiian Ti varieties create a dazzling taste of the tropics

Norman Winter is a horticulturist. He is a former director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Follow him on Facebook at Norman Winter “The Garden Guy.” See more columns by Norman at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/home-garden/.

Our taste for the tropics just got a lot larger this year as Proven Winners has added five new Hawaiian Ti varieties under their Proven Selections label. This brings the Cordyline group to a total of eight selections. Most of us have never seen a named variety of Hawaiian Ti known botanically as Cordyline fruticosa or Cordyline australis.

I say that referring to the fact that these plants have often been sold generically and certainly most of us have not had the opportunity to go to the garden center and have options or choices when purchasing. I am already seeing these in the market as well as in Proven Winners readymade mixes where they are being used as thriller plants.

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This could not come at a better time as Southern states are craving Cordylines to be used in high-profile landscapes like community entrances, front entry courtyards and office complexes. Commercial landscapers have been bold, challenging us in every misconception we have had about the Hawaiian Ti plant.

Consider names like Calypso Queen, Bali Red, and Hilo Rainbow. Those should make all tropical plant lovers eager with anticipation, to say the least. On the other hand, know that varieties Prince Albert and Red Sister, while not named with a jazzy tropical theme, defy logic with their foliage back that seems to glow in shades of iridescent hot pink and red.

One misconception that the commercial landscapers put to rest is that in an economy of scale, these are a good buy. Landscapers are going big, planting several. They are also teaching us that if you are going to use one tropical to create some "Martinique magic" why not use partners like crotons, and gingers? The look will have you imagining steel drums playing in the distance.

The biggest misconception shot down by the commercial landscape trade is that the Hawaiian Ti can’t take full sun. Over and over, whether on a coastal highway in Savannah or a hot city street in Columbus, Ga, these guys can take it and look like a million bucks all summer long, reaching heights of four to six feet.

The Garden Guy’s biggest surprise came after the winter had frozen them to the ground at my Zone 8a home. I simply cut back to just above the ground after the freezing temps turned the foliage a crispy brown.

Incredibly when I was prepping for spring planting, I noticed every clump was shooting. I wish I had left them in place but I was doing a redesign. I stuck them in pots with Superbells calibrachoas and Primo Peachberry Ice heuchera. It took them no time to reach 30 inches in height.

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The common name "cabbage palm" is associated with the cordyline or Hawaiian Ti which is a little odd but such is often the case in common names. They do get much taller in the tropics which is probably associated with the palm idea. The variety Red Star, known botanically as Cordyline australis, looks for the world like a thick burgundy red dracaena.

If you have ever come back from California wishing you could grow Phormium or New Zealand flax, this will quench your thirst. This one has been out for a number of years but is very inconsistent in finding it in the marketplace. Here is hoping that with Proven Winners adding it to the Proven Selections label we will all be able to get our hands on it on a regular basis.

A long hot summer is ahead of us and there are months available for us to create that special place or corner of paradise with the look of the islands. With actually named varieties of Hawaiian Ti plants, we can let our artistic design flow, maybe we will add some pink flamingos too!

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Gardening tips: Try new tropical Hawaiian Ti plant varieties