Dracaena
| Name: Dracaena | Family: Asparagaceae | Type Plant: Evergreen shrub or small tree |
| Flowering time: Rarely flowers indoors; if grown outdoors, blooms in late spring to summer | Best time to buy: Year-round (as an indoor houseplant) | Max Height: 1-3 meters indoors, up to 6 meters outdoors depending on the variety |
| Sun/Shadow: Bright, indirect light; tolerates low light but may grow slower | Wintergreen: Yes, evergreen | Humidity: Prefers moderate humidity; mist occasionally, especially in dry environments |
Origin
The Dracaena is a plant that’s a part of the Agavaceae family. It originates in Africa, middle America and the tropics of Asia. There numerous of species of the Dracaena known, a lot of which occur in the Netherlands. The most common ones are Dracaena Marginata, Fragrans, Massageana, Janet and Surculosa. The dracaena is known for the stripes it has on its leaves. The last species mentioned however, has dots instead of stripes on the leaves.
Characteristics
Dracaena is a tall full houseplant or -tree with one or multiple stems. Wonderful leaves in green, yellow, brown and sometimes pink or red grow out of these stems.
Not only are there a lot of different colours of leaves, the leaves themselves can appear in numerous varieties. Small, delicate, pointed or, conversely, big and soft. The most common form of the leaves is long and tapering. Characteristic for the Dracaena are the stripes over the length of the leaves. These stripes are yellow, white or even pink.
Care
The Dracaena doesn’t consume a lot of water. Only give it water when the soil feels dry. This will happen in summer more often than in winter. During winter, the Dracaena can go weeks without water. Once every 5 weeks is more than enough in winter. When the houseplant is in a big pot and in a dark place, it can go even longer without water.
Ideally the plant likes a dark place, but this can result in the leaf drawing not showing as good as you want it to. A partial shady place is therefore perfect. Make sure the temperature the Dracaena is in is never lower than 12 degrees Celsius.
Blooming time
The Dracaena can blossom flowers, but it’s not common and not the main goal why people buy this plant. But when the plant is given a lot of care and love, maybe it will grow some flower buds. When you can get this done, you certainly deserve an applause.
Yet, the dracaena is bought mostly because of its intriguing and almost tropical like appearance. The plant also helps keeping the indoor climate clean.
The Dracaena combines beautifully with indoor trees that carry smaller leaves and can give an interior something exotic!
