Replace cordyline with ???

amberspy

Previous owners plants cordyline in front garden I do like them but this year it’s started to grown quite tall about six foot and like a tree now so bottom is all bare as it’s long trunk
i want take it out before trunk gets any bigger 
but I love the leaves of it so it’s going have a big gap once a take it out 
is there’s any plants like a cordyline with big leaves but doesn’t form a trunk but not after feather type grasses 
hope I’m making sence 🙈

a1154

the obvious one is phormium, which I love. Some like Tenax grow very big. The very colourful ones with pinks tend not to be so large, so do some research on varieties.

amberspy

a1154 said:

the obvious one is phormium, which I love. Some like Tenax grow very big. The very colourful ones with pinks tend not to be so large, so do some research on varieties.

Great I’m going do my homework on this kind 
do you have a favourite 
I do like Tenax but unfortunately that would grow to big in height for me which is a shame 

KeenOnGreen

@1154 is correct about getting the right variety.  We have three varieties.

1) Evening Glow, grows very slowly, we have this in pots with no problem
2) Platt's Black, a quick grower, we have to keep repotting this every other year, a pain, even though it's beautiful.  Probably better in the ground
3) Cream Delight, growing again in a pot, seems to be growing quite quickly, but a real beauty.  

A couple of other suggestions, Libertia Grandiflora has a similar(ish) foliage to a Cordyline, although has a different habit, with pretty white flowers, and Astelia nervosa (it can cope with sun, but will do better in shade).

Andy19

Why not under plant them with nice long flowering perennials.

amberspy

Andy19 said:

Why not under plant them with nice long flowering perennials.

i did think of that but the cordyline will get to high rather take it down before it gets harder to do so 

JennyJ

If you like the cordyline but not the height/thick trunk, you can cut it back and it should re-sprout from below where you cut. If it doesn't, or you don't like how it turns out, you could take it out then. There'll be a gap while it regrows which you could fill out with some temporary bedding plants, but otherwise nothing to lose. See https://www.jackwallington.com/how-to-prune-a-cordyline-australis/ for an example - he leaves a short trunk on his but you could take yours down further.

amberspy

JennyJ said:

If you like the cordyline but not the height/thick trunk, you can cut it back and it should re-sprout from below where you cut. If it doesn't, or you don't like how it turns out, you could take it out then. There'll be a gap while it regrows which you could fill out with some temporary bedding plants, but otherwise nothing to lose. See https://www.jackwallington.com/how-to-prune-a-cordyline-australis/ for an example - he leaves a short trunk on his but you could take yours down further.

Hi Jenny I actually came across this last night 
I actually thought of doing that 
but unfortunately we decided it wasn’t for us to do 
when we take cordyline out I’m not sure if we be able save it if so we try and give away to whoever wants it but I’ve heard they not great at replant 

JennyJ

Fair enough . I hope you find a good replacement.

josusa47

I can't stand cordylines and had the two cut down which came with the house.  That was 5 years ago.  No matter what I do to them, I still get tufts of leaves sprouting from them.  They just won't give up.