15 of the Best Cordyline (Ti Plant) Varieties
Cordyline shrubs (Cordyline spp.) are showy tropical plants also commonly known as cabbage palms or ti plants, prized for their colorful foliage and handsome silhouettes, ranging from loose columns to spiky fans and palm-like trees.
Native to temperate and subtropical regions of southeastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia, numerous cultivars are popular as house and garden specimens that primarily come from two main species, C. australis and C. fruticosa.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Outdoors, both species produce panicles of sweet-smelling flowers in late spring or early summer, typically small, star-shaped blooms in mauve, pink, or white.
The blooms transition into attractive clusters of red to black berries, but when grown as houseplants, they rarely flower.
Outstanding foliage plants, cordylines are prized for their variegated patterns and colorful striations, mainly in restrained hues like forest, lime, moss, and olive greens; plus reddish colors of burgundy, cinnamon, mahogany, maroon, and plum.
Many cultivars feature brightly-colored new growth in vibrant shades of cream, coral, celery and kiwi green, rose, and neon pink.
Ti plants make excellent container specimens, adding a sultry tropical touch to indoor settings and in the garden, where they make sumptuous accents for decks, patios, and poolsides.
Planted out, they are colorful additions to mixed beds, borders, and hedges.
In our guide to growing ti plants, we cover how to cultivate these colorful plants indoors.
If you’re thinking of adding some cordyline plants to the garden, be sure to check out our tips for growing them outdoors.
Now let’s get into the fabulous colors and forms of 15 of the best cordyline varieties!
Here’s the lineup:
15 Favorite Cordyline Varieties
Before we dive in to our favorite cultivars, let’s go over the difference between the two main Cordyline species grown at home:
C. australis cultivars typically feature narrow, ribbon-like foliage that forms a graceful fan or fountain-like silhouette in young specimens.
As they mature, they take on a palm-like appearance, with bare, stout trunks topped with branched tips and rounded clusters of elegant, arching foliage.
Outdoors, they can reach mature heights of 10 to 20 feet and spread as much as six feet. But most cultivars have a mature height of three to 10 feet, and container plants are typically a bit smaller.
This species and its hybrids have moderate cold hardiness and can successfully be grown as perennials in USDA Zones 7 to 10.
C. fruticosa and its hybrids typically have wider, lance shaped foliage which spirals upward around the length of the trunk, growing into tall, loose columns.
When grown as perennials, this species can reach heights of nine to 15 feet and spread from three to eight feet, but they are cold tender and hardy only in Zones 10 to 12.
Now let’s check out 15 of our favorite cordyline cultivars:
1. Baby Doll
A sweetheart among ti plants, C. fruticosa ‘Baby Doll’ has broad, lance-shaped foliage in moss and olive greens, with pink edging.
New growth and leaf tips feature hues of deep, rich chocolate and mahogany.
A compact cultivar with an upright, columnar shape, ‘Baby Doll’ reaches a mature height of three to four feet and spreads two to three feet.
It’s an ideal choice for adding tropical flair to smaller gardens or as a container specimen for decks, patios, and poolside.
2. Cha Cha
For a spicy, color-changing cultivar, C. australis ‘Cha Cha’ has narrow, arching foliage that starts out in tones of bright apricot and cinnamon.
As the leaves mature, they develop shades of chartreuse, pesto, and olive greens, plus gold tones, creating a striking canopy of colors.
‘Cha Cha’ has an upright growth habit with a flowing, fountain-like form that reaches a height and spread of three to five feet, producing clusters of fragrant pale pink or white flowers in early summer.
An outstanding choice for containers and patio planters, ‘Cha Cha’ is also striking when massed in beds, borders, and midsized hedges.
You can find ‘Cha Cha’ available at Nature Hills Nursery.
3. Cherry Sensation
Sweet as pie, C. australis ‘Cherry Sensation’ offers gracefully arching, strappy leaves of deep burgundy trimmed in fuchsia pink and with center streaks of cherry.
The sumptuous, swordlike foliage grows in sparkling, upright fountains that reach four to five feet tall and wide with panicles of sweetly scented white flowers in late spring.
The striking, spiky form makes an eye-catching specimen for containers, patio planters, and foundations or massed into colorful barriers and hedges.
You can find ‘Cherry Sensation’ available at Nature Hills Nursery.
4. Design-A-Line
With deep coloration and a beautiful, spouting form, Design-A-Line™ (C. pumilio x ‘Roma06’) features graceful ribbon-like foliage in dark maroon with a delicate center strip of cream or latte.
A grasslike ornamental, it grows in mounds of three feet tall and wide and produces small, creamy white flowers with a sweet scent.
Design-A-Line™ is superb as an eye-catching barrier, border, or container plant and also highly effective as a patterning element in mixed beds.
Plants in two-and-a-half-quart and two-gallon nursery containers are available at Plants By Mail.
5. Florica
Ti plants are beloved as harbingers of good luck, and C. fruticosa ‘Florica’ is sure to bring plenty with its attractive, columnar form, colorful strappy leaves, and warm tropical vibes.
The wide and slightly wavy, foot-long mahogany leaves are lightly streaked in shades of chartreuse, cinnamon, cream, olive green, and neon pink that make a striking backdrop for the small, pale pink flowers.
‘Florica’ grows four to six feet tall with a spread of four to eight feet and makes a spectacular potted specimen or dotted around patios, poolsides, and mixed into tropical settings.
Container plants are available at Fast Growing Trees.
6. Florida Ti
The Florida ti (C. fruticosa) is an impressive burgundy-hued variety with streaks of cream, lime green, hot pink, and plum purple that grows in an upright, statuesque form.
Starry, light pink flowers and small berries add to the showy display on plants that grow up to 10 feet tall with a spread of three to four feet.
A beautiful choice as an accent in sunny beds, borders, and containers or mixed into tropical and Mediterranean gardens.
You can find Florida ti plants in 10-inch containers are available at Home Depot.
7. Harlequin
C. fruticosa ‘Harlequin’ puts on a vivid and colorful performance with broad and strappy striped foliage in wonderful shades of chartreuse, cinnamon, cream, coral, forest and olive greens, mahogany, maroon, and neon pink.
These striking shrubs give outstanding visual interest, growing in loose, lush columns seven to 10 feet tall and three to four feet wide.
‘Harlequin’ works as an eye-catching focal point or specimen in beds, borders, and islands or as a container specimen for patio planters, decks, and poolsides.
Plants in 10-inch pots are available at Fast Growing Trees.
8. Paso Doble
Double your pleasure with C. australis ‘Paso Doble,’ featuring fantastic texture and variegated foliage in brilliant fuchsia pink and deep burgundy.
The upright, spiky growth forms attractive plumes of four to five feet tall and three to four feet wide, making a mesmerizing addition to containers and planters, as accents around patios and pools, or focal points in foundations and islands.
In spring, panicles of sweetly scented, creamy flowers attract pollinators.
You can find ‘Paso Doble’ available at Nature Hills Nursery.
9. Red Sensation
Maturing into a beautiful, palm-like tree, C. australis ‘Red Sensation’ has richly colored narrow leaves of bronzy mahogany that create an elegant, arching canopy.
It grows three to six feet tall with a spread of two or three feet and makes a striking choice as a container thriller or massed into rows for barriers, borders, edges, and hedges.
Mature, cluster-forming specimens are outstanding focal points for foundations, islands, or polyculture plantings.
You can find ‘Red Sensation’ in nursery containers available at Nature Hills.
10. Red Sister
With fabulous color, form, and texture, C. fruticosa ‘Red Sister’ is a stately specimen with wide glossy leaves that spiral elegantly in an upright column.
The strappy leaves emerge as cherry pink that mature into deep scarlet and burgundy, retaining some pink in streaks and edging.
These vibrant plants grow three to six feet tall with a spread of two to four feet and make an excellent focal point in containers, islands, or mixed bed plantings – and they’re simply stunning when massed into rows for a border or hedge.
Plants in three-gallon containers are available at Fast Growing Trees.
11. Red Star
A striking cordyline bearing narrow, spiky foliage, C. australis ‘Red Star’ has chic, sword-like variegated leaves of bronzy burgundy or cinnamon, accented by cream colored center stripes and margins.
These shrubs grow eight to 10 feet tall and four to five feet wide in graceful fans that mature into a rounded canopy.
The appealing foliage is enhanced by clusters of small white flowers in late spring.
You can find ‘Red Star’ available in nursery containers at Nature Hills.
12. Sherbert
A cool treat for summer’s heat, C. fruticosa ‘Sherbert’ features long, sword-shaped leaves that are beautifully variegated in shades of burgundy, cream, and pink; plus kiwi, lime, and forest greens.
This luscious cultivar can grow up to 10 feet in height with a four-foot spread and is ideal for adding a sultry touch to mixed beds, borders, containers, decks, and poolsides, or massed into hedges.
Plants in 10-inch containers are available at Walmart.
13. Southern Splendor
C. australis ‘Southern Splendor’ puts on a show like no other, with razor thin, spiky leaves in deep, rich maroon, handsomely striated and edged in warm shades of coral, cinnamon, gray-green, and hot pink.
The vibrant foliage forms a bright, brazen fan and develops panicles of creamy white, fragrant flowers in late spring. This cultivar grows four to six feet tall with a spread of two to four feet.
A splendid choice for colorful borders, patio planters, and flanking decks or pools.
You can find ‘Southern Splendor’ available at Nature Hills Nursery.
14. Tangelo
For a truly unique color combination, C. fruticosa ‘Tangelo’ features bright new leaves of coral orange, with older foliage a deep inky green generously edged and streaked in coral and rosy pink.
A standout as a focal point or thriller in containers and planters for decks and patios, or in any tropical garden setting.
‘Tangelo’ grows four to six feet tall and three feet wide.
15. Torbay Dazzler
A charmer named for the Devon coast, ‘Torbay Dazzler’ (C. australis) features vibrantly colorful, ribbon-like foliage in olive green with creamy gold margins and cinnamon streaks in the center.
‘Torbay Dazzler’ produces clusters of scented white flowers in summer, and plants grow in an upright fan that reaches three to six feet tall with a spread of two to three feet.
Mature specimens have thick trunks with multiple canopies of rounded foliage.
A beautiful choice for beds, borders, and containers, or as a focal point in seaside or tropical planting schemes.
Potted plants are available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Tropical Magic
Handsome foliage plants with fantastic color variegations and striations, Cordyline cultivars are an effortless way to add a touch of tropical magic to our homes and gardens!
If you’re outside of their hardiness range, grow them up in containers to enjoy outdoors over the summer, then bring them inside to overwinter as houseplants.
Remember that C. australis varieties have thin, elegant leaves that form into graceful fans and fountains, or spikey tufts on mature, palm-like trees.
C. fruticosa types have broad, lance-like foliage that covers the upright trunk in an undulating, colorful spiral.
Whichever type you choose, you’ll love the colorful foliage and striking shapes they add to your home and landscape!
Are you growing cordyline plants in your garden or home? If not, which variety will you choose? Let us know in the comments section below!
And for more houseplants to cheer up your interior decor, have a read of these guides next: