Dear Sunset,
I hope you can answer my question about cordyline australis. I bought and planted three of these wonderful reddish plants though local nurseries told me there was nothing I could do to stop them growing into tall palms. This would not be a disaster in the location where I have them, but I would love them to be somewhat lower and bushier. My 2007 Sunset Garden Book says "For a more graceful plant, cut back when young to force multiple trunks." I didn't do anything drastic, but cut out the middle half dozen leaves hoping to force side growth. Checking back a few days later, I find those cut leaves have grown back about 2 to 3 inches. Was I supposed to hack all the leaves off? Where do I go from here? Any help would be appreciated from our source for all garden knowledge.
Thank you, Avril Merrick
e-mail :avril@gomailgo.net
Phone: 858 755 1930

Avril, I can't answer this from personal experience, so let me check with a few experts. I'll get back to you.

Avril, I asked Randy Baldwin, the manager of the wholesale nursery San Marcos Growers your question. (San Marcos grows a lot of cordylines.) Here's his answer.

She will need to cut the stem and not just the leaves to force new shoots. This process sometimes takes quite a while so she will also need some patience, which is hard when you are looking at a severely mutilated plant. If possible I would cut the stem at the tip and leave any lower leaves below on the stem to hide this cut.

Some of the newer Cordyline cultivars such as Festival Grass (‘Jurred’), 'Cardinal’, ‘Crimson Star’ (may be the same as Cardinal), 'Electric Pink' and Renegade (‘Tana') are hybrids between Cordyline australis and Cordyline banksii that naturally branch from the base and are smaller plants.

Im scared of bee you they can be very dangerous.