CORDYLINE RECOVERY

Almost 2 years ago when we began to re-vamp the back garden, we moved a beautiful dark coloured cordyline from the back of the house to the back flower bed. 

 

BEFORE - cordyline in the border behind the house

Miraculously it survived the move and appeared to have settled into its new home. 

 

AFTER - moved to the back flower bed

All was fine and dandy until this winter when long spells of rain followed by cold weather caused severe frost damage to the plant resulting in the top central core becoming brown, rotten and mushy.  Oh dear! 

 

Dry, rotting top core after slight pruning back

This is it, I thought.  Only a Lazarus moment is going to revive this bugger so I just left it as it was mushy and wilting until the worst of the weather had passed.  It’s easy to forget that some of our much-loved garden plants originate from warmer countries and are not used to the unpredictable British weather.  

Fast forward to spring time.  I carefully removed the mushy central core of the cordyline and pruned back some of the dead foliage.  Low and behold new side shoots have begun to grow so all is not lost.

 

New growth emerging from pruned dead foliage

Come winter, these new shoots will need protection with a few layers of gardening fleece or perhaps a bit of bubble wrap to keep the worst of the cold away.  Let’s hope it will grow into a lovely tall cordyline.