Dracaena

Do you have a dragon in your house? If not, we highly recommend it. Dracaenas, commonly called “Dragon Trees”, are spectacularly exotic houseplants native to sub-tropical jungles all across the globe. While Canary Islands’ Dracaena draco towers a full 70’, most dragon trees top out around 2’-5’ tall (8’ or taller in extreme cases) and are incredibly easy to prune to whatever height you choose. This, along with their unusual appearance, make dracaenas perfect specimen plants to fill out an empty corner or make a statement against a bare wall.

The Dracaena Family - beautiful tropical plants for indoors and outdoors

You could say the nickname “dragon tree”  is more than a little misleading—dracaenas aren’t actually trees and they definitely don’t grow dragons. Moreover, while most dragons aren’t very environmentally friendly (it’s all the smoke from the fire breath), dracaenas are some of the most efficient air-cleansing plants on Earth.

All that said, we’re still okay with the “dragon tree” nickname. Why? Because dracaenas still look every bit as otherworldly as a massive, mythical reptile with fire breath.

It starts with their stems, also called canes, which start off woody and straight but often take on a more twisted shape and almost scaly texture as the plant matures. Then comes the foliage: unruly, Muppet-hair-style tufts of sword-thin, usually spiky leaves that often come shot through with lengthwise stripes of white, chartreuse, or magenta. Some species even sprout delicate sprays of tiny, white-ish flowers, or “bleed” reddish-orange sap when cut.

It's like having your own tropical plant nursery...

Dracaenas also have another undeniably dragon-like quality: they’re as virtually indestructible as they are crazy looking. This makes them an ideal choice for everyone from beginner “brown-thumbs” to seasoned gardeners. They dislike full sun and total shadow, but are happy with most any light in between. They ignore most plant pests, they require minimal fertilizer … most species don’t even need much water. Not only that, but when you chop off the head of a cane, a new leaf bud will appear below the cut within weeks and grow into a new head, as if imitating the mythical hydra. Moreover, the severed portion can easily be rooted in loose, well-drained soil or a glass of water, expanding your “dragon” family.