Marianne's Response

Help identifying plant with broken heavy leaves

What plant is this? It looks like a type of yucca. It appears I let this one grow too large and some of the leaves have snapped. And any tips on maintenance and pruning?

Posted by Anne Taylor on February 20, 2022

Marianne's Response

The red look to the foliage leads me to believe you have a Cordyline (maybe the variety Red Star) not a yucca. These spiky plants are not as hardy as yucca plants but you can prune off the lowest broken leaves close to the stem to tidy up the plant. Do not cut the top of the plant as this is where new growth will come. There are many new and exciting varieties of Cordyline some very tropical like the Ti plant and some more cold hardy but they all need frost protection or can be enjoyed as houseplants. You can also remove any side baby plants growing out from the base to keep the Mother plant more symmetrical.   The baby plants can be potted up and may be more attractive than an overgrown Cordyline with wind damage. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti