Can Dracaena marginata survive outdoors?

Dracaena marginata is a plant that in Spain, as well as in many other places where the climate is temperate, is widely cultivated indoors, since in nurseries it has always been sold as a plant to keep at home. And this is so for a very simple reason: it does not support frost.

But Can you have a dracaena marginata outdoors? Based on my experience, I can tell you that it is, but depending on which parts of the world you will have to protect it when the cold arrives. Below I will explain in detail how I take care of mine in the south of the island of Mallorca.

Where does the dracaena marginata come from and what climate does it support?

As always when we do this type of article, I am going to explain to you first what are the characteristics of the place where it lives naturally. And to answer that question, tell you that the dracaena marginata It is an evergreen shrub that grows in Madagascar, in areas where the climate is tropical or subtropical.. For this reason, we should never expose it to strong frost, since it already suffers damage if it drops below -1ºC.

The humidity of the air is always high. This makes the leaves stay healthy on a daily basis. But it must be said that if it were kept in a dry or very dry environment, it would become very vulnerable to attack by Red spider, which is why it should be sprayed every day with rainwater or one that was drinkable.

Can it be outside all year round?

Dracaena marginata is, as I said just above, a plant of tropical origin. He doesn't like the cold at all, and in fact has a very bad time when the mercury in the thermometer drops too low. Therefore, If we ask ourselves if it can be outside, we will have to know that if we live in an area where frosts occur, the answer will be no., and also a resounding "no" because we would lose it before the first snowfall of winter.

And it is that, really, it is not necessary that the temperature is below 0 degrees for the leaves to die: if they remain low, between 15 and 5ºC for a few days in a row -like during a cold wave, for example-, it will also have a bad time. This happens to a couple of plants that I have in my garden, like the Ensete ventricosum and Euphorbia grantii. The stems remain intact, but the leaves are quite bad, dead.

Although it can freeze -with temperatures as low as -1,5ºC-, if it occurs it would only be a punctual frost and of very short duration, so the plants can resume their growth without problems in spring.

With these conditions, I was encouraged to leave the dracaena marginata out. All year. Let's see what happened. The first experiment was with a specimen in a pot, which I put under a tree of Melia sourach. It ran out of leaves, but it sprouted in spring.

And the last experiment was with a specimen planted in the garden. This one is much more protected, because in front it has several bushes that measure more than half a meter in height (the dracaena does not exceed 40cm), and behind it there is a wall. However, what I see that hurts it the most is the wind that blows in winter, especially when it comes from the north, since it is much colder; but still and everything, he gets ahead.

So from my experience, yes it can be outside, but as long as the temperatures in winter are not very low, and kept in a protected area. I only recommend having it without any type of protection if the climate is tropical or subtropical, as is the case, for example, in certain parts of the Canary Islands or in the extreme south of Andalusia.

How should you care for dracaena marginata outdoors?

If you dare to keep it outside throughout the year, or in spring and summer, I recommend that you give it the care that I am going to tell you about now:

Put it in semi-shade at first

During the first weeks, it will be important for it to be placed in a very bright place but out of direct sunlight.. When time passes and you see that it grows without problems, expose it little by little and gradually to the direct light of the star king; Not surprisingly, in its natural habitat it grows like this, exposed to sunlight.

Plant it in the ground if the climate is mild

To better resist winter, it is best to plant it in the garden in spring. Do like me and put it in an area where it can be protected from the wind if said season is cool (not cold), with temperatures around 15, 10, 5 degrees Celsius. But be careful: if there is going to be frost, the most sensible thing to do will be to keep it in a pot with a universal substrate (for sale here).

Give it a moderate watering

It is important that it be watered regularly. It can't stand drought, so you don't have to let the soil dry out completely.. But it doesn't like too much water either, so I recommend checking the soil for moisture with a stick. Here you have more information:

Pay it so you don't miss anything

You have to do this either with a liquid fertilizer as this if it is in a pot, or with powdered fertilizers if, on the contrary, it is planted in the garden. In any case, you have to follow the instructions on the package.

Thus, you can keep your dracaena marginata outside, at least until winter returns.