One of our cabbage trees has lost all leaves and doesn't appear to be growing anymore. It had ivy growing up it fairly high which i cut out at the base and that died off but within a couple of months the tree has gone the same way.
The second cabbage tree next to it also had ivy cut out at the base and seems fine.
It's fairly big so not easy to cut down. Is it worth leaving a stump to see if it starts growing again?
I don't particularly like it anyway as it drops leaves all over the place.
Any advice appreciated thanks
cleggyboy,
Oct 31, 3:04pm
Only good cabbage trees are dead ones. I had all mine cut out, a couple started sending up shoots so I zapped them with weed killer. They are a problem in town cos you can't burn the leaves, the mower can't cope with them and the rubbish collection won't take them, they also take for ages to rot.
rsr72,
Oct 31, 3:14pm
Will not grow from the stump if it has the cabbage-tree disease. Best chop it. The stump will gradually rot away leaving a neat deep round hole in the ground which will need to be filled. They are a pest in gardens.
pauldw,
Oct 31, 7:59pm
If it's that hard to pick up a few leaves why is it that cabbage trees are so popular on the West coast of the UK? "The ‘Cornish palm’ as it is also known, appears to relish the reliably mild and damp climate which gulf-stream-warmed spots from Torquay in Devon to Plockton on the west coast of Scotland offer, and features prominently in the marketing of picturesque resorts suggesting they have a far more clementk climate than they actually do."
pgta,
Oct 31, 9:53pm
Neighbours had two right next to our fence. They were there for a number of years and all the leaves just seemed to drop on my side only. I did the right thing though and three them back over their fence as they did own the leaves.
Eventually first one died and then the other a few months later. I was not upset.
jubre,
Nov 1, 12:01pm
I agree, only dead cabbage trees are dead ones. I remember as a kid, having to pick up those big tree leaves off the lawn all of the time, before you could mow it.
pisces47,
Nov 1, 4:13pm
When they flower they are good food for the wood pigeons and tui's
rita197,
Nov 25, 10:27pm
Best to cut it as it will likely die and fall. and they are heavy! Leave the stump 1m high and it may sprout back.
gabbysnana,
Nov 26, 8:40am
they say cabbage trees die from heavy pollution levels and extreme climate variants. I notice that all the cabbage trees in peoples gardens bordering the new motorway extension have died.
venna2,
Nov 26, 8:57am
I had the cabbage trees that grew too close to the house cut down, but I like the ones on my far borders. Admittedly picking up the leaves is a nuisance as otherwise they get stuck in the mower blades. But they look lovely when the flowers come out, and tuis are a bonus.
I guess they're also a reassurance that pollution is not a problem here. My healthiest looking cabbage tree is close to the railway line but it's electric.
funkydunky,
Nov 27, 8:41am
It's not just the South. It's hard not to spot a cordyline in any UK garden photo. They are mad about them
funkydunky,
Nov 27, 8:45am
The fragrance from the flowers is delightful and birds love the seed. tightly rolled bundles of dead leaves are incredible fire starters. And yes diseased trees can regrow from the stump after being chopped.
shanreagh,
Feb 7, 8:57am
Yes I am not sure why people don't use them as fire starters. gather them in a bundle of a dozen, fold in half and then tie another round it, store in a dry place. Even if you don't have a fire then bundling them up, putting into a box or sack and giving them to friends who do have a fire is a nice idea. Takes no time at all if part of a morning or evening whizz round the garden.
I also put cabbage tree leaves as a thick layer at the bottom of my compost bins. Eventually they go skeletal and can be used.
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