Chocolate Mint Cordyline (Cordyline australis 'Chocolate Mint')
kor-dih-LYE-nee oss-TRAL-iss 'Chocolate Mint'

Evergreen Perennial Upright

Cordyline australis 'Chocolate Mint' is a cabbage tree cultivar with bronze-brown and mint-green striped, strap-like foliage. It prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade. It is not winter-hardy in the Chicago area, so it is grown here as a seasonal container accent or houseplant rather than left outdoors year-round.

Pros

  • Bold, architectural, palm-like silhouette
  • Tolerant of wind, salt spray, and both wet and dry soil once established
  • Low maintenance
  • Fragrant flowers attract pollinators

Cons

  • Mildly toxic to dogs and cats if chewed or eaten
  • Only hardy outdoors in zones 9-11; needs container culture or winter protection elsewhere
  • Can take many years to flower
 

Plant Data

Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Tags Evergreen, Full Sun, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!