Choc Mint Cordyline

Choc Mint Cordyline (Cordyline australis 'Choc Mint') gives you height in a garden with no room for width. It grows to about 3m tall and only 1.5m across, holding a fountain of strappy variegated leaves in the chocolate and mint tones the name refers to, on a single clean trunk as it matures.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow by nature. Around 3m by 1.5m, so it lifts the eye without stealing the bed.
• Variegated foliage that carries the year. The leaf colour is the reason to plant it, and it looks the same in July as in January.
• Fragrant flowers. Mature plants throw sprays of small cream and white flowers with a sweet scent that carries across a courtyard.
• Built for exposed sites. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant and drought tolerant once established, so coastal blocks and windy balconies do not shred it.
• Almost no maintenance. There is nothing to prune. Pulling off the old lower leaves once or twice a year is the whole job.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant as a vertical accent among low mounding shrubs, or a matched pair either side of an entry. Give each 1.5m of clear space.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it, and container growing naturally holds it closer to 2m than 3m. This is the option for a balcony or paved courtyard.

Coastal and small gardens. Salt laden wind is not an issue, so it holds up on a beach house block, and the narrow footprint suits a tight site.

Growing Choc Mint Cordyline in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest leaf colour; in part shade the variegation fades and the habit loosens. Subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens all suit it, and it is frost hardy once established.

Soil. Free draining is the only firm requirement. It handles sand, loam and improved clay, but it will rot at the base in ground that stays wet. Plant on a raised mound on heavy soils.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Established plants are genuinely drought tolerant. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring keeps the new leaves broad and well coloured.

Pruning. None required. Strip the browning lower leaves as they age to reveal the trunk, and remove the spent flower spike. A plant that gets too tall can be cut back hard and will shoot again below the cut.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: tube stock and 200mm plants in packs of six. Tubes are young single rosettes without a visible trunk, and they are the value choice if you are planting several. The 200mm plants have a fuller head of leaves and form a trunk sooner.

Cordylines travel better than most, because the leaves are tough and there is no soft growth to break. A little leaf tip browning after transit is normal. Plant within a week, water in, and expect a month of stillness before new leaves appear. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare forms and colours across the cordyline range
• Variegated plants explained
• Browse companions in coastal and salt tolerant plants
• See what else fits a tight block in plants for small gardens

Common questions

How tall will it actually get?

About 3m in open ground over a number of years, spreading to around 1.5m. In a pot it usually settles closer to 2m, because the restricted root run limits it.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Cordylines are listed as toxic to cats and dogs, and chewed leaves can cause drooling, vomiting and loss of appetite. Plant it where a pet that chews foliage cannot reach.

Why are the lower leaves going brown?

Normal ageing, not a problem. Cordylines shed their oldest leaves as the trunk lengthens, so pull them off once or twice a year. Browning across the whole plant means wet feet.