By Meggiesmum
West Sussex,
United Kingdom 
I often see what looks like multi-stemmed cordyline australis in other people's gardens, parks etc. Several stems appear to come from the ground or a short way up the trunk. Is it possible to buy a small plant which is treated in some way to be multi-stemmed or is it just a question of 'wait and see' and luck?
16 Feb, 2010
Answers
i have one about 6ft high..and last year it developed a side shoot naturally.others around me have older plants and they have multiple branches..i think its better to let it grow natusally..
hope this helps
fezzy
16 Feb, 2010
Every time the plant flowers, this also naturally terminates the stem and it branches. Over many years, old Cordyline plants can look quite different to the young single stemmed plants most people are familiar with. Some of the oldest are to be found on the seafront at Torbay and look just like this.
16 Feb, 2010
My thanks to Bamboo, Fezzy2001uk and Fractal for your good advice and comments. I have one 8' specimen which had 3 flowers in 2008 and now has 3 branches and another 10' specimen with 1 flowerhead. So at least something is happening and I shall just have to be patient!!
Meggiesmum
17 Feb, 2010
Previous question
« I have had my dahlia tubers for three year. could ou tell me how to split them, has...
Next question
they sometimes naturally develop side shoots at the base or up the stem, but you could chance it and cut the top down in hopes it'll produce more side shoots, but not before April, please!
16 Feb, 2010