Butia vs cordyline

[Adam r]

Which is more hardy? Butia capitata or cordyline?

[flounder]

Down here, cordyline. Butia needs protecting whereas cordys get on with it

[musabasjoos]

cordyline here too, but butias are far nicer looking plants and are worth a try.

[Conifers]

Cordyline. Plenty of them up here along the coast. Never seen a single Butia anywhere around here.

I'd suspect Butia needs a lot more summer heat than we get up here, as the winters on the coast aren't cold enough to kill it unless other factors are involved.

[GaryW]

Cordyline only because it can reshoot from lower down, unfortunately for solitary palms once the growing point is dead that's it. I've found Butia eriospatha to be hardier than capitata, mine is in a very large tub in a sheltered position on the patio and although it spear pulled after Dec 2010 it is recovering. It was completely unprotected however and had temps down to -11 or so.

[rburrena]

Hmm around here Surrey near London we have had -9 in the last two winters, Butias seemed fine but the weaker of the cordylines succumbed. Cordylines seem very variable, only the bigger, stronger ones are hardier than Butia from what I have seen. Cordylines that are not particularly well cared for or weakened by some other factor seem quite susceptible to cold. Having said that though it is true that they seem to come back eventually, even from the ground. But then the Butias never got knocked back in the first place.

Also, I like cordylines, but they are boring compared to butias as they are grown everywhere.

[Adam r]

Thanks for the replies. Living about three miles from the northeast coast in Sunderland, I think I'm in hardiness zone 8/9. I know we don't get winter temperatures as low as they do abit further in land but being so far north we don't get the summer heat that they get further south so that could be a problem.

[GoggleboxUK]

I reckon you'd cope with a Butia Capitata if you planted it out and were prepared to chuck a blanket or three over it if the temps dipped severely.

I've got one in a pot that sailed thrrough last winter (although it was a mild one here) and am contemplating putting it into the ground now.

Cordys should be less maintenance through winter but, as they are faster growing, they would be hard to protect if we had another 2010 and they were tall.

The benefit of having Cordys is they are far less expensive for a decent sized one should it need replacing. If you spend more on a Butia you may be more inclined to look after it better too, that's how I look at things.

[Conifers]

Living about three miles from the northeast coast in Sunderland, I think I'm in hardiness zone 8/9. I know we don't get winter temperatures as low as they do abit further in land but being so far north we don't get the summer heat that they get further south so that could be a problem.

Yep, that's right, lack of summer heat is the big problem. Today (and the last few days) is a perfect example, 27° in most of the country, but just 18° close to the coast.

[Vagetarian]

But those coastal weather stations are obviously exposed. I know of some sun traps close to the sea which get unbearably hot.

I'm 3 miles from the coast too, while I was recording 25 yesterday the nearest coastal weather station (4 miles) was reporting 15. In winter I get a couple of degrees colder than the coast, it seems to work out quite well.

As for Butia vs Cordy, there is no competition for me but then I've never been much of a fan of Cordylines. It's definitely the more sensible option though.

[RogerBacardy]

My young(ish) Butia became mushy in the centre, spear-pulling. I didn't saw through as it had one remaining frond, but tried to scoop out as much mush as possible, so that it could recover.

& it has started to recover, there is new growth poking through - hooray!

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[The Codfather]

A cordy....

[rburrena]

My young(ish) Butia became mushy in the centre, spear-pulling. I didn't saw through as it had one remaining frond, but tried to scoop out as much mush as possible, so that it could recover.

& it has started to recover, there is new growth poking through - hooray!

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oh dear Was it protected in any way? I guess the smaller ones are more vulnerable.

[RogerBacardy]

No, wanted to leave it to its own devices. The one pictured survived, the other one, planted about 4 metres away, didn't. Garden is on a gentle North facing slope, so some parts have long shadows in the winter, the one which survived was planted in the sunniest spot.

With hindsight, if I were faced with the same situation again I would have protected them both. Don't want plants that need protecting every winter, but when juvenile they are less hardy. There's one about 5 miles from me which has been planted without protection for years and years, at least a decade. So if I can get mine to that size it should be okay.


My cordylines only need minimal protection. I find the best way to protect them is to encourage lots of new growth and to not trim them from Aug onwards. Then, the bulky head of leaves gives them built-in insulation. I tie up half the leaves with rope to protect the vulnerable new growth, but crucially, I let the lower leaves hang down at 45 degrees, like a skirt, trapping warm air around the trunk when the radiation frosts kick in.

No point protecting new growth if the trunk freezes through, as everything above that point will be dead.