I have two of these plants and with the major snow that we've had here in Vancouver in Dec, some of my plants are dying. I've attached a couple of pics and please let me know if I can still save them. Thanks a lot.
Oh no....that is so sad :(. To help me gather some lessons learned as I'm just a newbie in gardening, I don't think I did wrong...I believe it's more of what I didn't do. I should have moved them in a covered place when the snowfall warning was in effect. I should have....gardening is so full of 'should-haves'... Thanks for the feedback.
mhern--your cordyline australis plants look exactly like everyone else's here in the lower mainland. Even quite old specimens that have been in the ground for years have fallen over and best case scenario will possibly grow back from the roots only. Potted plants like yours will have had their rootballs frozen solid, and don't have a hope. This is thanks to a winter like we haven't seen for many decades. This is not a hardy plant long term here...only the past few decades of fairly mild weather have emboldened folks to grow this plant expecting it to survive our winters. When I was a kid (1960's) there was only talk of how a long-term big "dracaena" (as they were usually called back then) was supposed to be surviving way out in Tofino...a tantalizing sort of legend :-) Otherwise "dracaena spikes" ...as they are still often retailed...have traditionally been considered annuals, to be replaced each spring with new and admittedly quite cheap young replacements. Yes you might have been able to bring yours inside during the coldest weather, but don't feel too bad about your loss...you've plenty of company this winter!
Thanks a lot growest. I know I'm not alone but it still hurts :). I was just telling my husband that I won't grow/plant anything anymore after seeing what had just happened to my plants outside...but as soon as I got my west coast seeds catalogue...I'm back to being a persistent gardener again :)
