Crisp, white and green striped foliage makes this superb form of native cabbage tree (Cordyline) stand out from the crowd. It’s great for pots or the garden and whether grown on its own or combined with a mixture of plants always makes a feature that provides year round interest.

Although it has a decidedly tropical look, with its straight trunk and narrow, strappy foliage, Cordyline albertii is cold hardy, which makes it especially useful for providing dramatic foliage effect in gardens where heavy frosts are experienced. It’s a very versatile plant too, capable of growing happily in poor or rich soils and untroubled by long dry spells, making it ideal for areas where water shortages are a feature of summer.

Cordyline albertii is a stunning subject for containers. A bright blue pot makes the foliage colour even more appealing. In mild climate gardens, Cordyline albertii is a very pleasing combination with cream, green or blue succulents planted so they cover the ground at its base. In frost free spots it’s great with the big green foliage of Agave attenuata or the lush foliage of renga renga, Arthropodium cirratum. Such combinations are very drought tolerant.

Try it with low growing flowering subjects too, such as ground covering Bacopa ‘Blizzard’, or among white or cream marguerite daisies, such as ‘Sugar Crystals’.

In good soils, which don’t dry out in summer, and where there is shade from afternoon sun, Cordyline albertii is a delight with perennials with lush, pretty foliage, such as cream and green hostas or green and silver pulmonarias.