The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

id this plant please - single trunk fronds are about 1 metre long

Looks like a cabbage tree http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1744

ti kouka / cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) - growing a bit close to the house....

I bought several of these thinking they were types of grasses, they had no trunk just fronds then. and none of them have multiple heads they are all singles. The fronds are over a metre long and droop, more flax like, certainly not rigid, they have never flowered - I have also seen some exactly the same that were a deep wine in colour - they definitely were not labeled as cabbage trees or cordyline australis i have included a photo taken maybe a year and a half ago - they were about 1 metre tall, now they are well over 7 ft tall. Yes too close to the house - I want to know what they are so I can determine whether they can be cut off and replanted.

They still look like cabbage trees to me.

These are all cabbage trees (Cordyline australis). Sorry but if I had a dollar for every time I went to a N.Z. garden centre or a local market and found something being sold with the incorrect name I would be a very rich man by now. Labels mean little - until New Zealand Consumer takes this issue seriously (I have raised it with them) you need to apply 'Caveat Emptor' (be cautious) when buying plants. All of your images here are cabbage tree's, specifically Cordyline australis they are not grasses.

If you remain uncertain then as you live in the Waikato I suggest you collect some material and pass that to the University of Waikato Herbarium for formal identification - email Dr Chrissen Gemmill (chrissen.gemmill@waikato.ac.nz) the curator first.

Thank you both for your attention to my query...and after a little more research I can see you are correct. My idea of a cabbage tree was something quite different from this. As Peter mentioned, they are way too close to the house...every single one - 9 in total! The million dollar question is, can they be moved with any success? I fear if I leave them to get too much bigger I will be faced with some real issues. Once again, thanks for the help and any advice as to my dilemma would be hugely appreciated.

Hi Jennifer, yes they can be moved, but would probably pay to leave them in the ground until March after the dry season. Also stake them and water them for the first wee bit, putting mulch around the base to retain water is also a good idea. They look great in groups of three. A friend gave me four cabbage trees from their garden. It didn't look as though any of them would survive to start with; they they have all taken and are growing like cabbages ;-)

Cabbage Tree's are well nigh indestructible - you will have no trouble transplanting them - but I would follow Astrid's advice on treatment and planting times etc.

hi guys - my goodness, what a lot of contradictory information around regarding these plants. Some sites say hard to move successfully, others say easy - one site said you can simply cut off at base and replant (ive done this with numerous Yucca and havent lost one) would you all agree? Or must I actually dig these giants out?