Pairings of Dracaena in pots – Discover the plants that work well with Dracaena
As common as spider plants and philodendrons, so is the houseplant dracaena. But the dracaena, with its spectacular upright foliage, also goes well with other plants as a complementary accent. Which companions are suitable for the dracaena? The following article contains information on planting pairs of potted dracaena, including suggestions for companion plants to dracaena.
About planting with Dracaena
Dracaena is an easy to grow and maintain houseplant. There are a number of cultivars that generally differ mainly in height. However, pot cultivation of dracaena will limit its size. For example, D. fragrans , or the maize plant dracaena, can grow up to 15 m high in tropical Africa, but inside a pot it will not grow taller than 1.8 m.
Depending on the height of the companion plants of the dracena, you are more likely to choose the small Song of India ( D. reflexa Variegata) with its varied yellow and green leaves that will only reach a height of about 3-6 feet (less than 1 meter up to 1.8 m.).
When choosing plants that work well with dracena, its requirements must be taken into account. The nature of company plantations is to combine plants that have similar requirements for light, food and water.
Dracaena plants thrive in rich, well-drained soil. All that is needed is to water them well once a week and feed them once or twice during the growing season (March-September). They are not heavy eaters and do not need to be constantly wet. They also need a moderate amount of indirect sunlight.
Companions for Dracaena
Now that you know what dracena needs, let’s look at some possible combinations of potted dracena. When garden centres or florists make mixed pots, they usually use the «thriller, fill, spill» rule. That is, there will be a thriller like dracena with a certain height as a focal point, a few low-growing «filling» plants and a «spiller», a plant that creates a cascading interest at the edge of the pot.
As the dracaena is a medium and light plant, try to accentuate it with a low or medium flowering annual, like some colourful impatiens, then accentuate it with a vine of sweet potato violet. You can also add perennials, such as coral bells, as well as creeping jenny and perhaps one or two petunias.
The number of companion plants is dictated by the size of the container. Make sure you leave room for them to grow if they are not already full. The general rule is three plants per container, but if your container is huge, throw the rules out the window and fill the pot. Keep your «shiver», the dracena, towards the centre of the container and build from there.
For added interest, not only mix perennials and annuals, but also choose plants of different colours and textures, some flowering and some not. In fact, as long as you consider the growth requirements of dracena (moderate, indirect light, moderate water and minimal feeding) and adapt them to your partner’s choices, your options are limited only by your imagination.