Cordyline australis Magic Star

Cordyline australis Magic Star is a variety rich in colours. It develops green foliage variegated with white-cream that turns pink and then intense red as it gets closer to the centre of the plant. This variety was one of the "shortlisted" plants for the Chelsea Plant of the Year competition in 2023. This magnificent plant, with a very exotic appearance, produces shoots that enhance its architectural look. Its upright and compact habit makes it perfectly suited for pot cultivation.

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

The Magic Star variety grows slowly, with a compact and upright habit, and maintains a modest size. It offers remarkably colourful foliage. The plant has a rosette 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 1.80 m and a width of 80 cm at maturity. Its evergreen leaves are long and narrow, sword-shaped, pointed and slightly arched, and measure 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 lavender-coloured, nectar-rich and delicately scented flowers are borne on large dense panicles measuring 60 to 100 cm long. The fruit is a white and round berry measuring 5 to 7 mm in diameter, loved by birds. On mature plants, the pale grey to dark grey bark of the trunk has a corky and fissured appearance and is spongy to the touch.

The Magic Star Cordyline has a standard hardiness for a Cordyline, down to -7°C under good growing conditions, i.e., in a warm location, in the sun, sheltered from cold north winds, in well-drained soil. It is resistant to warmer winds and sea spray and is well suited to coastal areas. It particularly appreciates Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. Plant it in the centre of a bed, as a small specimen tree, or as a standalone plant. You can also grow it in a pot, especially if you want to protect it over winter in a conservatory. It must be watered and fed in pots. It can give an exotic appearance to the terrace or garden, and its sculptural silhouette looks good with Royal Protea and Dasylirion glaucophyllum to accentuate the exoticism, or Pseudopanax Ferox, bamboos, and giant miscanthus in a garden with modern lines.