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.

My cordyline is re shooting from the trunk! Should I leave the shoots or remove them?

You can leave the babies to grow; they will be an attractive grass like feature for a couple of years, but will then start to grow trunks and will certainly be cramped in a pot (if it is in a pot). You could put the whole lot into the soil in the garden and leave them to grow into an attractive clump of cordyline trees.
If you wanted to keep them in a pot for a bit longer, you could remove all but one or two (leave the strongest), but again these will grow into trees eventually.
Cordylines are really better in the ground, and are only ever a temporary pot plant.
You were lucky that they re-shooted; if the top dies (through frost or other damage) they often do not come back, particularly the red or purple varieties.
If you want to replant the shoots, you will need to remove them carefully as they will need a reasonable bit of root attached to grow on successfully. Take care not to damage the stem of the main plant as cordys are unlike trees and will not heal over any wounds to the main trunk.

Where are the seeds on a cordyline;  it is in flower at the moment?