Cordyline australis Fantasy

Cordyline australis Fantasy, known by its cultivar name 'Spricorfantasy', is a particularly bright variegated variety. Its light colours: white, yellow, and cream, are very prominent and blend with a soft shade of green. Another characteristic is that it grows in a very upright manner and its lance-shaped leaves do not arch. Its vertical growth in a rosette shape results in the emergence of a single trunk. It has an average hardiness compared to its counterparts, around -6°C in well-drained soil.

Cordyline australis is a perennial tree-like plant from the agavaceae family, endemic to New Zealand. In the wild, this plant reaches a height of 20m and forms a robust trunk that branches out into numerous leafy heads that can reach 1m long. Cordyline is found in very diverse habitats, such as forest edges, riverbanks, and open areas, particularly near marshes.

The Fantasy variety grows slowly, with a particularly upright habit, and maintains a modest size compared to the species, but rather large for a cultivar. It offers very bright foliage. The plant has a rosette-like leafy habit in its juvenile state (for several years), then it forms a small tree with a single trunk and branches adorned with leafy tufts. This variety reaches a height of 1.5m to 2.5m and a width of 1m to 1.5m at maturity. Its evergreen leaves are long and narrow, sword-shaped, pointed, and slightly arched, 40 to 90 cm long and 3 to 7 cm wide at the base. Flowering occurs in summer on mature plants. Each stem can branch out once it has produced a flower stem. The small, nectar-rich and delicately scented, lavender-coloured flowers are borne on large dense panicles measuring 60 to 100 cm long. The fruit is a white, round berry measuring 5 to 7 mm in diameter, loved by birds. On mature plants, the pale grey to dark grey bark with a cork-like and fissured appearance is spongy to the touch.

Cordyline australis Fantasy appreciates a warm location, in the sun, sheltered from cold north winds, in well-drained soil. It is resistant to gentle winds and sea spray, and well-suited to coastal areas. It particularly thrives in Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. Plant it in the centre of a bed, as a small specimen tree, or as a specimen. You can also grow it in a pot, especially if you want to protect it in winter in a conservatory. In a pot, make sure to water and feed it. It brings an exotic look to the terrace or garden, and its sculptural silhouette pairs well with Royal Protea and Dasylirion glaucophyllum to enhance the exoticism, or with Pseudopanax Ferox, bamboos, and giant miscanthus in a garden with modern lines.