Dracaena goldieana, at long last

Some of you may remember my excitement back in February about finding Dracaena goldieana for sale. Of course I had to wait until after I moved to make the order, but one of the first things I did after returning to Washington and making sure the plants I brought with me were settled in (at least temporarily) was to put in an order with Vintage Green Farms, a mail-order nursery in Hawaii. While they do have a handful of plants hardy in the Pacific Northwest, such as Leycesteria formosa (Himalayan honeysuckle), their stock is mostly geared toward gardeners in Hawaii, southern California, and Florida.

They have a good selection of more unusual tropical and subtropical plants, including Dracaena goldieana. I have been in love with this plant for something like 12-15 years, so I think I deserve one after finally finding a retail source.

Naturally, a plant should never travel alone. I selected a couple travel buddies for my new dracaena: Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery' and Ardisia japonica 'Hakuokan'. I'd been wanting the begonia for about a year now, so that was a natural choice. The ardisia intrigued me, so I did some research and it appears to be reliably hardy in the PNW. I have no idea if the deer will leave it alone or not, but I decided to take a rare chance.

The plants arrived in perfect condition, hardly even a broken leaf, and well-sized for mail-order. I am definitely a happy customer.

I could hear a sigh of relief as I released these plants from their wrappings.

The new growth on the ardisia starts out pinkish green with pink variegation before maturing to a beautiful bright green and creamy white. I don't know where I'm going to put it, but I'm happy to have it!

Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery' forms a caudex at the base, a woody, tuberous growth from which the stems arise.

I love the jagged leaves of greenish-silver and burgundy.

I absolutely adore the patterns and colors on the Dracaena goldieana. The leaves seem to be developing more color as the plant grows.  

Both plants were ready for bigger pots, especially the begonia. It was moved into a plain clay pot to allow the roots to dry faster. The dracaena was put into a blue and white ceramic pot. I love this style of glazing, but don't have many pieces because I find it hard to pair with most plants. This dracaena, with its opulent patterning in simple colors, seemed the perfect match for this pot I found at a garage sale.

Flattening the box into submission, Mitzy the Grouch reins over her kingdom. In case you're wondering at the appellation, she's been called Satan on two separate occasions. Not the friendliest of felines.

And thus my 15 year lust is finally fulfilled. Now I can enjoy watching my new dracaena, and its friends, grow. The ardisia is still in its pot, waiting for a place in the garden. Where to put it...