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Cordyline australis 'Red Sensation' - This is a palm-like, sub-tropical tree that grows with an upright habit and with age will branch to produce several heads. This cultivar is a showy plant with dense clusters of arching long, broad leaves colored purplish red. Like the other colorful Cordyline australis cultivars this plant should grow to be a branched 10 to 20 foot tall by 5- to 10-foot-wide evergreen tree and produces large panicles of small, sweet-scented flowers in late spring to summer.
Best in full coastal sun to light shade - some shade protection necessary in hotter inland gardens. It is drought tolerant in coastal gardens but responds well to occasional to regular irrigation. Useful in dry gardens but also offers a tropical look. A great container plant. It can tolerate coastal conditions if protected from direct sea winds (Zone 2) . It is hardy to around 15° F, growing well in USDA zones 9-10 (and possibly warmer Zone 8 locations).
The species Cordyline australis is a tall tree endemic to New Zealand where it grows from the far northerly subtropical areas of the North Island to the chilly southern areas of the South Island. It is typically found in forest margins, riverbanks and open places, and is also abundant in wet swampy area. The name Cordyline comes from the Greek word kordyle, meaning "club," a reference to the enlarged underground stems or rhizomes and the specific epithet is the Latin word for "southern" as in southern hemisphere.
Some report that this plant is the same as Cordyline australis 'Red Star' but we grew the two side by side and these varieties are clearly different. Compared to 'Red Star' this cultivar has slightly wider leaves that are more purple (less red) and have a more green venation (especially prominent on older leaves). We grew this cultivar from 1999 to 2008 when we were not able to get stock of 'Red Star' but discontinued growing it after securing ample stock of Cordyline 'Red Star', which we liked better as 'Red Sensation' tended to hold older foliage longer and these leaves were often greener.
The information displayed on this page about Cordyline australis 'Red Sensation' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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