Cordyline australis Torbay Dazzler

Position and soil. The RHS grows it in a sheltered position in full sun or part shade, in well-drained chalk, clay, loam or sand, acid, neutral or alkaline. The RHS rates it drought resistant in British conditions, while the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network says the species dislikes long periods of drought.

Frost. The RHS rates it H3, hardy to between -5 and 1 C in British conditions. No Australian reference read gives it a climate range.

Care. The RHS says it is not usually pruned, and that it is propagated by seed or suckers.

Pests and diseases. The RHS, a British reference, says it may be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and scale insects, and to cordyline slime flux and, rarely, honey fungus; no Australian reference read gives its pests here.

The RHS lists it for city and courtyard gardens, Mediterranean-style gardens, architectural plantings, cottage and informal gardens and beds and borders, and its profile also tags it for conservatories and greenhouses. The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network calls the species excellent in pots and tubs and says numerous cultivars of it exist. The RHS gives it a narrow spread of 1 to 1.5 m. See also Red Star and Red Sensation, and the cabbage tree page for the species.

The heavy cream striping on the leaves is the reason to choose it. For the roots, pests and hardening off to check in nursery stock, see the HortOS guide to nursery plant quality. The table above shows the sizes growers list. Stock moving between states travels under the state and territory biosecurity rules like any other plant.

The ASPCA lists Cordyline australis, under the name palm lily, as toxic to dogs and cats, from saponins; the signs it gives include vomiting, depression, loss of appetite and drooling. No reference read lists this cultivar separately.