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 how the 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 when purchasing. I am already seeing these in the market as well as in Proven Winners ready-made mixes, where they are being used as thriller plants.
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.
