Cordyline australis 'Red Star' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Cabbage Palm 'Red Star'

Cordyline australis 'Red Star'

£19.99
Protect from hard frostSun-lovingEvergreenRHS award winnerLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £19.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Cordyline australis 'Red Star': A cabbage palm with a bold, spiky crown of narrow, arching leaves in deep bronze red. It is one of the most popular architectural plants for good reason, giving instant structure and a warm, exotic colour that holds through the year. Young plants make a rounded fountain of foliage, and with age a clear trunk develops and the plant lifts into a small tree.

Hardiness, honestly: Cordyline australis is the hardiest of the cabbage palms, but it is not bombproof. 'Red Star' carries an RHS hardiness rating of H3, and it holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. In mild and coastal gardens it usually comes through winter outdoors with little fuss. In colder or wetter spots, and while plants are young, expect to give some protection in hard frosts. It is very much at home by the sea.

How and where to grow: Plant in full sun or partial shade in well drained soil. It is relaxed about soil type and pH and copes with chalk, clay, loam or sand. Good drainage matters far more than richness. Fragrant creamy white flowers appear in summer on established plants, and bees enjoy them.

Settling in and using it: Water through the first season while it roots in, then it is notably drought tolerant. In a cold snap, gather the leaves up and tie them loosely, and mulch the base to protect the crown and roots. It is superb in a large container by a door, in an exotic border, or as a coastal specimen.

What you receive: Sent as an established plant, ready to plant out or pot on.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Cabbage Palm 'Red Star'

Plant me in full sun and protect me when hard frost threatens.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Cabbage Palm 'Red Star'

Cordyline australis 'Red Star' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is half-hardy to around −5°C and needs protection from hard frost.

Good for

Architectural Coastal & Exposed Exotic Borders Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Semi-Hardy (H3): down to around −5°C. Half-hardy; reliable in mild or coastal gardens, protect in colder areas.

Hardy in mild and coastal gardens (RHS H3, roughly -5 to 1C). Protect young plants and give shelter in cold, wet inland gardens. Read moreShow less

Hardy in mild and coastal gardens (RHS H3, roughly -5 to 1C). Protect young plants and give shelter in cold, wet inland gardens.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingEast-facingSheltered
Full sun or partial shade. Excellent for coastal, exposed positions once established. Read moreShow less

Full sun or partial shade. Excellent for coastal, exposed positions once established.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Well drained, any type including chalk, clay, loam or sand, at any pH. Drainage matters more than richness. Read moreShow less

Well drained, any type including chalk, clay, loam or sand, at any pH. Drainage matters more than richness.

Watering

Water through the first season while it roots in, then it is notably drought tolerant. Avoid cold, wet soil over winter. Read moreShow less

Water through the first season while it roots in, then it is notably drought tolerant. Avoid cold, wet soil over winter.

Mature size

Height2.5 to 4m
Spread1.5 to 2.5m

Reaches full size in 10 to 20 years

Growth habit

Columnar/upright

Flowering

Summer (June to August, on mature plants) · White, Cream

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

No pruning required. Pull away dead lower leaves to keep the trunk clean, and remove spent flower stems.

Toxicity

No serious toxicity reported for people, and the fibrous leaves are not for eating. Some cordylines can upset cats and dogs, so discourage pets from chewing the foliage.

Native range

New Zealand (species origin)

Family

Asparagaceae

Also known as

Cordyline australis 'Red Star'

Genus

Cordyline
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How hardy is 'Red Star' really?

It is the hardiest type of cabbage palm and rated RHS H3, so it usually comes through winter outdoors in mild and coastal gardens. In colder, wetter inland gardens, and while plants are young, give it a sheltered spot and some frost protection.

Is it good for a seaside garden?

Yes. It is one of the classic coastal plants, tolerating wind and salt spray once established, which is why you see it all along mild coastlines.

Does it flower, and will it stay this colour?

Mature plants produce fragrant creamy white flowers in summer. The deep bronze red foliage colour holds all year round, which is a big part of its appeal as an evergreen structural plant.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Cordyline australis 'Red Star'
£19.99