Question
I have a plant that I bought at an outdoor nursery that I believe is in the Dracaena family.  It lived outside all summer in a large planter with geraniums and variegated vinca and grew a lot.  I have attempted to repot it...it was firmly established in the larger pot and uprooting it was most likely traumatic. I have brought it in for the winter but am not sure what conditions might make it most happy.  It has a lovely fan shape consisting of long, thin leaves that come right up out of the soil...no trunk/stem. I've not been able to find a photo that looks quite like it.  What are the odds of indoor survival?  I hate thinking of putting it outside to freeze...

Answer
Janice,

Your plant is Common name: "Spikes" Latin name: Dracaena indivisa - synonym Cordyline indivisia. If you give it plenty of light it will live indoors just fine. Most growers call it an annual, I have one about 7 years old. They also say it ony gets about 18 inches tall but mine has been 4 foot tall with sevearal stems and I cut it back to the shortest. It comes from New Zealand and there it will become a tree up to 20 feet tall all by itself. It is tropical and will not survive freezing temperatures. The following site has more info:

http://www.denverplants.com/annual/html/drace_ind.htm

Good luck.

Darlene