It is unlikely that C. banksii from the North Island
could survive the worst the British climate can do, but I think
it's fair to say if you have grown C. australis successfully, whether
planted out or put in a greenhouse or conservatory for the winter,
you could grow C. banksii I was reluctant to believe this until
this last winter, because it just doesn't look like a hardy plant,
but last winter two out of three test plants left outside survived
-8¾C. (However, having said that, my experience with all Cordylines
in pots is that exposing them to the limits of their cold tolerance
in the winter sets them back so they don't start growing again until
the middle of the following summer. This coming winter I shall be
burying the pots and crowns of my specimens in the greenhouse in
polystyrene 'pasta'.) The Forest Cabbage Tree is not fussy in a
pot but like most bold foliage plants it looks its best when fed
well. It is used to a windy, rainy climate and in warm dry; still
air inside it is susceptible to red spider mite.
As I mentioned, the main problem with C. banksii
is lack of availability. Burncoose and Southdown Nurseries, Gwennap,
near Falmouth is the only nursery I know of that stock plants of
C. banksii in the U.K. Graham Hutchins of County Park Nurseries,
Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, who is a New Zealand plant specialist,
has had some of my micro-propagated plants.
Cordyline banksii - The Forest Cabbage Tree
