Hardy Tropicals UK

Urgent help needed to save dying (?) Cordyline Australis tree. We bought a house one year ago which had two large coryline australis trees. One of the trees looked in poor shape, with half of its branches just bald stumps. Now, a year on, it looks to me, entirely dead (picture A).

The second Cordyline looked perfectly healthy when we bought the house and flowered beautifully, but around october it too started losing leaves in a similar manner to the other tree. Today half the trees branches are bald stumps (see picture B). Also, on a side note: when I pressed the bark on both the trees, it felt spongy and almost loose and there are bark sections missing on both trees (see picture C.)

I have no idea what has caused this steep decline in both trees. I live by the coast (weston-super-mare) and it is very mild; we have had no snow and only one light frost the entire year I've lived here, the summer was hot, but not ridiculously so.

Any ideas/advice would be gratefully received. I am a relatively inexperienced gardener and I'm terrified this tree will die as it is the focal point for the entire garden. Please help!

Picture A Picture B Picture C

Hi, they look well established plants from the pics, I've grown many over the years and they can be hit and miss. I've also had some go downhill when the water table has been high in my old garden for month's on end. I used to cut remaining stumps back to solid wood then new growth should appear....do not dig them out as worse case scenario they'll regrow from the base.
Karl.

As Karl has said, they wont reshoot from the stems. Once the stem goes they often regrow from below ground, so you can get rid of the eyesore straight away, start at the top and keep removing sections of stem until you reach healthy wood. they cut very easily as the stems are quite soft. Because they were well established plants the regrowth will be rapid.

Thank you both so much for your speedy replies. I will do as you suggest straight away and then keep my fingers crossed!