Frequently Asked Questions

Please look through these to see if we can answer your cordyline query. If you don’t find the answer that you want, please email us, for the attention of the cordyline curator, and we will do our best to help.

(We are adding to this frequently, as we receive more queries, so keep checking back!)

Do Cordylines have other names?

Yes, they are often known in the UK as ’Torbay Palms’ or ’Cornish Palms’, but in their native New Zealand they are ’Cabbage Palms’ and ’Ti’ trees or ’Ti Kouka’ for C. australis. (The different species have different Maori names)

Can I prune a Cordyline?

This is generally not recommended as any pruning can leave a wound on the plant that can get infected, and it also spoils the symmetry of the plant if it has already developed several heads. The odd head can be carefully sawn off if it is blocking a window for example, but keep pruning to a minimum. However, severe frost can kill the tops of the plants, which will often then re-shoot from the base of the trunk, or half way up if the frost did not damage the entire trunk. This will often take more than a year and the bare trunks are not very attractive, so it is not a good idea to do this deliberately!

Can I dig up and move a Cordyline?

This will depend on the size of the plant, and how much soil (root-ball) you are able to lift with it. C. australis (the common green type) are quite resilient and able to cope with being moved up to around 2m (perhaps 4 years old?), provided as much as possible of the long central tap root is taken out with it and it is given plenty of water for 6 months after moving. It is best to do this in April/May, once it has started growing again after the winter. It is possible to move larger plants but this is best done by professionals with suitable root-balling equipment and cranes.

How can I encourage a multi headed specimen?

Many cordylines (and certainly most of the green types) will naturally produce several heads after flowering. Once the plant reaches 5-7 years of age (sometimes less, often more) it will flower. This causes the head to divide, usually into two, at the point of attachment of the flower stalk. The plant will often flower every year from then onwards, each head further subdividing into two.
It is not recommended to prune a plant in any way to try to force this to happen (see ’pruning’ question above)

Are there any dwarf cordylines?

Most of the hardy Cordyline australis types will grow very slowly in a pot, but grow rapidly form 4 years old if grown in the soil. C. pumilio and ’Red Fountain’ are two short forms that only reach 1m or so in height. Both are slightly tender. Some of the tropical cordylines (often used as houseplants in Britain) are slow growing, eventually to 1 or 1.5m height only in their native habitat.