Cordylines, or Cabbage palms if you prefer, are gorgeous, evergreen foliage plants with gray-purple or bronze-red, sword-like, arching leaves. These variegated leaves are adorned with bold pink margins and stripes. Wondering what to plant with Cordylines? Read on.
Even more, it makes for a great container plant and adds drama year-round with its tropical look and bold colours – it easily introduces substance to your garden. Plus, the branches of mature plants produce ivory-white flowers in late spring to early summer, which bees find extremely attractive because of their sweet smell. More so, starlings adore its autumn berries.
Cordyline Australis Pink Passion
Cordylines are often seen gracing decks or terraces but it is also well-suited to both contemporary and traditional planting schemes. But, just like every Batman needs a Robin, you have a couple of options to plant with them to add that extra pizzazz to your garden. Keep reading if you want to find an answer to the question “what should I underplant with cordylines?”
With long sharp and spiky leaves, something that offers contrast to these shapes will be a winner here. Glaucous blue green leaves would contrast against the standard reddish purple of a common cordyline.
Obviously it will depend on the height of your cordyline as to what plants you’ll choose to underplant, but assuming it’s ‘garden centre size’ IE not a massive tree, you have many options. VIEW Cordylines (Cabbage Palm)
Planting Cordylines with Dahlias
From late spring to early autumn, this compact dahlia bears extremely deep magenta-pink flowers over red-green foliage. The length and size of this plant’s flowering make it a great option for smaller gardens. Why? Well, this environment makes it well-suited to growing opposite the herbaceous border.
Just like cordylines, you can grow Dahlia Roxy in fertile, well-drained soil and full sun. Also, you don’t necessarily have to stake this plant, unless you are in an area that overexposed.
To prolong flowering, feed it with potash-rich fertiliser and ensure you deadhead regularly. Also, after the first frosts, lift the tubers and store them in a cool, dry environment until March.
With a slightly flattened top, Dahlia Jomanda produces double flowers in the shape of a ball. Also known as Ball Dahlias, these plants have their petals in a spiral pattern with rounded or blunt tips.
Dahlia Plant – Cafe Au Lait
This plant adds aesthetics to your garden with flowers in a gorgeous autumnal burnt orange color standing on straight and long stems. More so, it makes for a great cut flower and can be grown in the center of a sheltered and sunny border.
To get the best results, you can plant ball dahlias in well-drained and fertile soil, with access to full sun. Also, to prolong flowering, you should feed them with potash-rich fertilisers and deadhead regularly.
Just like we mentioned earlier for Dahlia Roxy, lift their tubers after the first frosts and store them in a cool, dry environment up until March. After that, you can pot them and store in a temperate greenhouse before you plant them in late May. VIEW: Hardy Dahlias
Planting Ricinus Communis underneath Cordylines
Even though Ricinus communis, or castor oil plant, reaches 40ft in height in its tropical homeland over many years, its growth is controlled in a British garden due to the cold. Treat as an annual and you’ll get 8-10ft in one season. While it does produce greenish-yellow flowers, Ricinus communis is grown especially for its glossy and large reddish-purple foliage.
You have to sow the seeds early in the year (preferably in a greenhouse or polytunnel) and have them soaked in tepid water for a few hours beforehand. Plant out after the frosts have gone (I wait until the 3rd week in May) VIEW: Ricinus full range
One important thing to note is that all parts of this plant are highly toxic, especially its seeds.
Underplanting Cordylines with Grasses
Soft flowing grasses are an obvious choice for underplanting corydlines, but equally a good one. With so many to choose from, whether a striking Carex or other form, it really does just depend on the colour you want alongside your cordyline.
Hakon Grass, or Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola,’ is a terrific ornamental grass. This superb golden variegated grass has foliage that forms striking mounds of graciously shiny, arching leaves.
The leaves of this plant are almost completely variegated with gold longitudinal stripes that, when shaded, take chartreuse colours but get brighter when exposed to the sun. Even more, these plants bring your garden to life with foliage that offers amazing fall colour – it turns to attractive copper-orange shades before dying out in winter. Have a look at these ornamental grasses and see if you can find something that catches your eye. Gently flowing grasses such as Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’ (feather reed grass) or Stipa tenuissima (syn. Stipa tenuifolia) have been mentioned by other plant specialists, working well with (non grasses) such as Kniphofias and Hostas.
Helichrysum planted with cordyline
Planting Helichrysum with cordyline, specifically helichrisum “lime light” was offered as a good suggestion, the lime green leaves working for underplanting.
Cordyline planted with Euphorbias
Euphorbias have been a common choice also, such as Euphorbia myrsinities (Donkeytail) which will eventually spread and trail around the base, or if you have it in a pot it would gently trail down the side. If you are looking for something brighter, I have noticed Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ being suggested, which is bright gold, and then red in the winter.
Cordyline planted with Fatsia Japonica
Terracotta pot & Fatsia japonica Spider’s Web
The humble fatsia japonica can offer strong and wide glossy leaves to contrast, a combo that I personally do like.
Removing Cordyline leaves for maximum effect
If you want a more dramatic scene, you can remove the lower leaves of the cordyline and plant closer against the trunk, allowing for even more contrast of shapes and form, with the amazing texture of the cordyline.
Further Reading:
- What should I plant with Cordylines for companion planting?
- Common Cordyline Issues, Pests & Diseases – Tips to fix
- Grow Guide: How to grow, care for and buy Cordylines in the UK
Other varieties of Cordyline covered here are: Cordyline Australis Charlie Boy, Cordyline Australis Pink Passion, Cordyline Australis Pink Star, Cordyline Australis Red Star, Cordyline Australis Torbay Dazzler, Cordyline Australis Verde.
