Pink Diamond Cordyline

Pink Diamond Cordyline (Cordyline fruticosa 'Pink Diamond') brings colour to a warm climate garden without waiting on a flower. Broad strappy leaves are banded in cream, green and hot pink on an upright plant that reaches about 1.8m tall and only 1m wide. It grows fast and shrugs off heat, humidity and coastal salt. The foliage is toxic to cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without flowers. The cream, green and pink variegation holds all year, so the display never depends on a flowering season.
• Tall and narrow. About 1.8m by 1m, which adds height in a narrow bed where a shrub would be too wide.
• Coastal, humid and hot. Salt, humidity and heat tolerant, the exact combination a subtropical coastal garden needs, and fast enough that a massed planting reads as finished in a season or two.
• It works indoors too. In bright indirect light inside it holds its colour and stays good in a pot long term.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant at the corner of a deck or beside a doorway does the job of garden art. Underplant with something plain and dark green so the variegation has a background.

Mass planting. Plant 60cm apart in a staggered block, about three plants per square metre. At that spacing the canopies overlap into a continuous band of colour that works as a soft internal screen.

Pots, balconies and indoors. A pot 400mm or wider suits a single plant, and containers hold it nearer 1.2m. One caveat: the leaves are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed.

Growing Pink Diamond Cordyline in Australia

Position and climate. Bright light brings out the pink; deep shade turns the plant green and drawn. Filtered light or morning sun is ideal outdoors, since harsh afternoon sun bleaches the leaves. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and is frost tender, so cooler southern gardens should keep it potted or indoors.

Soil. Rich, free draining and full of organic matter. Work compost through the bed at planting, and in pots use a quality mix with extra perlite. It dislikes drying out completely and sitting wet just as much.

Water and feed. Water two or three times a week through the warm months and much less in winter. Brown leaf edges are more often dry air than dry soil. Feed a controlled release fertiliser in spring and a liquid feed monthly through summer.

Pruning. Strip the lower leaves off as they age rather than cutting them halfway. If the cane grows too tall or bare, cut it back to any height in spring and it reshoots below the cut.

What to expect when it arrives

Four sizes are grown: tube stock, 140mm pots in packs of ten, 200mm pots in packs of six, and single 300mm plants. Tube and 140mm plants are young single cane plants and the right choice for a massed block. A 300mm plant already carries roughly a metre of coloured foliage.

Cordylines travel with their leaves folded in, so an outer leaf may crease at the tip. Cut those off at the base. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to use cordylines in a lush garden design
• Browse the full cordyline range
• Companion plants for a tropical garden
• More plants with variegated foliage

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The foliage contains saponins and is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, bringing on drooling, vomiting and loss of appetite. Grow it in a raised pot or a bed pets do not use.

Why is my plant losing its pink?

Not enough light, almost every time. The pink pigment needs bright conditions to develop, so a plant in deep shade reverts to mostly green. Move it somewhere brighter and new leaves come through coloured.

How far apart should I plant it for a massed block?

Sixty centimetres apart, about three plants per square metre. Any wider and the canes read as separate plants rather than a band of colour.