Cordyline australis seeds - Cabbage palm

The Cordyline australis Purpurea Group includes the purple-leaved forms of the cabbage tree, a small evergreen tree with a palm-like appearance, native to New Zealand. These seeds will produce several different specimens, each with its own shade of bronze or purple. It takes a few years to obtain a fine clump and often 7 to 10 years before a true trunk begins to form, but the result is sturdy, long-lived and well-rooted plants. In coastal areas or regions with a mild climate, this cordyline provides lasting structure in borders and on terraces.

Botanically, Cordyline australis belongs to the Asparagaceae family. It is commonly known as the cabbage tree or cabbage palm. Botanical synonyms include Dracaenopsis australis, Cordyline superbiens and Cordyline sturmii.
The Purpurea Group brings together forms with naturally purple leaves, close to the old cultivar 'Purpurea'. They differ from the green type by their brown-purple to violet-purple foliage, slightly less vigorous growth and slightly lower hardiness, down to –6 / –7 °C in very well-drained soil. Young plants first form a dense rosette of strap-shaped leaves, then an erect trunk that branches after the first flowerings. In mild climates, a well-established specimen commonly reaches 4 to 5m in height with a 1.75m spread. 
You can expect a clump of about 1m in 3 to 4 years of sowing, with the tree-like silhouette developing over about ten years. The sword-shaped leaves measure 40 to 90cm long and 3 to 7cm wide; they are leathery, clustered in tufts at the tips of the branches, at first erect then slightly trailing with age. Flowering occurs on mature specimens, in late spring or summer: large, 60 to 100cm long panicles bear a multitude of small creamy-white flowers which are highly fragrant and rich in nectar, attracting bees and other insects.

In the garden, use Cordyline australis Purpurea Group as a focal point near a terrace, as a specimen on a lawn or at the heart of an exotic-inspired border. Outside the mildest regions, it should be grown in a large container and brought out into the garden from late spring to autumn. You can pair it with Phormium 'Rainbow Queen', variegated with bronze and pink, Miscanthus sinensis 'Red Chief', with its red plumes in autumn, Pennisetum massaicum 'Red Button', with its purple spikes, or Carex testacea 'Prairie Fire', with its coppery leaves.