A popular plant, lots of info, eg:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2237/

I have C.a. red star. Something ate its leaves to the stem, but it's coming back. A lot of stores have small one on sale very cheap in San Antonio, like $1 per. I guess everybody's looking to get some foliage that isn't all green.

Mine declined after a long stretch of heavy rain. I removed all the browned foliage and moved it to a spot with better drainage. It seems to be coming back.

Good soil drainage is key. Sandy loam is ideal for a wet climate. If you are near the coast and have a sunny south/ southwest exposure, you may not need winter protection. C. australis is hardy unprotected with occasional dips down to 15 deg. F (-9 C). If you need to protect, ytou can build a wire mesh around it and loosely fill with straw to allow drainage and avoid rot. Good luck. dl