By Chocolate1
United Kingdom 
I have got an cordyline australis which we have had for a year and it was the first winter this year so to avoid it dying in the extreme cold weather in December we gathered together the top leaves and put bubble wrap around it. Wer recently took of the wrapping and it wa fine for a few weeks but I have now noticed all the middle leaves are starting to fall out and it is all soggy in the middle.I hope it can be saved as they are not cheap plants. Should we have left it in the winter to survive naturally maybe?
Hope somebody can help.
16 Feb, 2011
Answers
Many Thanks for your advice. We have cut it back and hope it will regrow this summer. Next year we will probably leave it uncovered as the bubble wrap may have suffocated it too much and didnt allow the rain water to drain away naturally.
Thanks again,will let us know how it goes.
20 Feb, 2011
If it is soft in the middle then the frost has damaged it. You need to cut 1cm or so below where the soft, destroyed tissue is. On my Cordylines that was at soil level. It may or may not grow back in summer - they grew back a few years back so there is a strong possibility. I have kept mine in the hope that it will. The leaves will fall off in the wind and the rot spread if you do not cut it.
19 Feb, 2011