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Mystery plant looking unhappy

hatty_hatty_ Posts: 99
in Problem solving
Hi all 

My Dad bought me a nice plant from the garden Centre a few months ago. I popped it in and promptly lost the label. 

Fast forward to today it’s not looking too happy. Many leaves/fronds are brown and crispy. 

Can anyone help me identify the plant and advise on why it is looking sad?
it doesn’t get a huge amount of sun so wondering if I’ve put it in the wrong place. 
Thanks!

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Hello Hatty, l'm reasonably sure it's a Cordyline (although l do have a habit of mixing them up with phormiums 🙄).
    It may be that when your Dad bought it from the garden centre it was in the outdoor undercover area, and it's the shock of bring transplanted into the cooler air that's caused it to suffer a bit.
    They are reasonably hardy, although the extremely cold winter of a few years ago killed many of them off, including mine.
    Have a look at this in the meantime 
    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-cordyline/
    and maybe someone can confirm or correct what l've said 😊.

  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    +1 for cordyline
    Am a novice , but i do have some small cordylines and a phormium. From leaf habit ( ie more stiff) I'd guess these are cordylines. Mine are looking a bit crispy albeit I have the redder kind which I think are a bit more tender. I had a feeling the green cordylines need more sun than the red/purple ones but hopefully someone better informed than me will opine! To be honest I'm not sure that it needs materially different looking after in terms of sun and water whichever it is. RHS or the GW website will have guidelines
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • hatty_hatty_ Posts: 99
    Thank you so much @AnniD and @Desi_in_London, your advice is very helpful ☺️
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    I have a red and green one. I thought they died after a bad winter a few years ago but they came back a year or later. I tried to chop it down and it grew back with a vigour. Very tough plants. 
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    it’s a Cordyline.  The outer leaves will turn yellow or brown and untidy and fall off or can be gentled tugged off when they’ve been replaced by new growth in the plant’s centre.

    as a leaf drops off, the stem stays bare and so every time a leaf falls off the stem gets taller.  I suppose it’s the same way as palm trees grow.
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