Cordyline 'Red Sensation' and Experimental OIla Use


Hello all,

Happy spring to all - hot weather has arrived with a vengence.

I went to the nursery to get some papyrys for a old castiron bathtub water garden I have constructed in the middle of my parking area.  (Bathtub was previously used to water cows and I didn't want to haul it off to the dump - hence the buried water garden idea).  There was no papyrus at the nursery - but there were two Cordyline 'Red Sensation' - which called out to me.  I was wondering if Cordyline 'Red Sensation' can take full sun.  I have pampered my phormium along this past year because they actually need more water than the other plants I have in the front yard facing west.  I don't want to do the same with the cordyline in this other full sun area.

I have several ollas or water jars I ordered last year, which I want to experiment with as an alternate form of watering.  Olla is an ada! ptation of an old Spanish piece of unglazed pottery which is buried next to a plant needing water during long hot spells and limited water resources.  See link re info in this technique http://spectre.nmsu.edu/media/news2.lasso?i=738.

I got these ollas from a New Mexico ministry which employes Native Americans to produce these adaptations of ancient irrigation containers.  I am hoping to experiment with these as a watering source for the cordyline in the middle of my driveway area which doesn't have irrigation to it.

The bathtub will have water plants surrounded by a raised soil area held back with rocks.  I will plant the 2 Cordyline, 1-Coteneaster parneyi, 1-Callistemon and some miscellleanous low growing ground cover plants in the soil surrounding the bathtub and then will bury the ollas next to the plants needing water.&n! bsp;The pink/magenta flowers of the callistemon will play off the colo r of the Cordyline and I have some portulaca and an artemisia and a magenta colored pelargonium to interplant.

But my question is will the cordyline do well in the full sun - the two specimens I puchased are in such wonderful condition - I don't want to take a risk planting them in full sun and having them get sun burnt and suffer during the summer - their foliage is so perfect now.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Linda Starr
Springville Lavender Gardens
Southern Sierra Nevada foothills,
Ca, USA, Zone 9
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