How to Grow Cordyline (Cabbage Palm)

With its spiky fountain of leaves in green, red, purple or striped cream, cordyline brings an exotic, architectural look to patios, pots and coastal gardens all year round.

Cordyline is easy to grow, but it isn't reliably hardy everywhere in Britain, so where you live makes a difference. Here's how to grow it.

Cordyline at a Glance

• Hardiness: fine in mild, coastal and southern gardens, but a hard frost inland can cut it back or kill it.
• Position: full sun or partial shade, in a sheltered spot.
• Size: sold as young plants, but Cordyline australis eventually makes a small tree of 4m or more.
• When to plant: April to June.
• Good for: pots, coastal gardens, dry spots and architectural planting.

Which Cordyline?

Our cordylines are all Cordyline australis, the cabbage palm, in different leaf colours: 'Charlie Boy' and 'Red Star' in rich reds and purples, 'Torbay Dazzler' with cream-striped leaves, and 'Peko' in green. The tropical Cordyline fruticosa, sometimes sold as a ti plant, is a houseplant and needs very different care.

Where to Plant Cordyline

Cordyline copes with sun or partial shade, dry spells and salty sea air, but it needs a sheltered spot. In mild, coastal and southern gardens it can go in the ground. In colder inland gardens, it's safer in a pot you can move to shelter in winter.

Growing Cordyline in Pots

Cordyline makes a striking centrepiece for a pot, alone or with trailing plants around it. Use a free-draining compost and a pot with drainage holes, and stand it on pot feet over winter.

Winter Care

• In colder areas, move pots against a sheltered house wall, or under cover, when a hard frost is forecast.
• Keep the compost on the dry side in winter.
• If frost damages the leaves, wait until spring and trim off the damaged ones once new growth appears.

See how to protect plants from frost.

Cordyline: Your Questions Answered

Is cordyline hardy in the UK?

It's fine in mild, coastal and southern gardens, but a hard frost inland can damage or kill it. Give it a sheltered spot.

Can cordyline grow in pots?

Yes. It's excellent in pots, and a pot makes it easy to move to shelter in a hard winter.

How big does cordyline get?

Over many years, Cordyline australis can grow into a small tree of 4m or more.

An Exotic Look All Year

With shelter and good drainage, cordyline brings bold, year-round shape to any patio. Browse our cordylines.

Our garden plants are grown in Britain by growers we know, including the Yorkshire nursery that grows most of them. We check every plant by hand before it's packed, and send it out ready for your garden.