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Cutting Back Cordylines

November 8, 2008 by Linda  
Filed under 2008 11 (Nov)

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Question: I planted two cordylines about two years ago and they are superb they are now a lovely red pink in colour and well over ten foot high. The problem is over the next few weeks our council are doing work to our guttering and some council jobsworth says my cordylines will obstruct the contractors i dont want to dig them up has well has been hard work i have no where to replant them. Would it harm them if i cut them right back and how would i do this. Also how quick would they regrow they were barely a foot tall when I planted them 2 years ago any advice welcomed. Answer:  This is a real shame, the same thing happened to me last year when I had cavity wall insulation installed. I had to cut back all my shrubs from one wall of my house. Happily they have all now grown back fine. As for Cordylines they can be difficult. Each year new growth grows from the base so in theory you should be OK to cut back the current growth, how long it will take to reach their full height is hard to say. You need to ensure that you cut the stems as close to the main trunk as possible to avoid rot getting in. This time of year isn't ideal as there is potential for frost to affect the new growth. At the first sign of new shoots appearing, wrap the plants in horticultural fleece until the weather warms up. There is no guarantee that your plants will recover once cut back but it sounds like you don't have much of a choice.

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