Phormium
New Zealand Flax

These perennials from New Zealand do well in full sun to partial shade and thrive with little to regular watering. Their dramatic foliage produces sword like evergreen leaves that grow into a fan pattern and makes them a good choice for a garden focal point. They will provide great color year round and the cool weather will intensify foliage. Once established, some will produce branched clusters of tubular flowers in late spring or early summer that will be twice the height of the foliage.

Amazing Red – 2’-3’ Upright dwarf plant with dark reddish-brown leaves with fine dark red-brown margins. New from South Africa. Ultimate size not determined.

Apricot Queen – 3’-4’ Slightly arching and twisting, 1.5” wide pale yellow leaves with green margins, flush to an apricot color in fall.

Bronze Baby – 4’-5’ Upright 1.5” wide dark reddish-brown foliage curves gracefully at tips. A great medium sized red flax.

P. cookianum (P. colensoi) – 4’-5’ Medium sized plant with 2.5” wide olive green leaves that arch gracefully. Grows well in shade.

P. cookianum (Dwarf) – 2’ A small selection of Mountain flax from John Greenlee with flat narrow green 1” wide leaves.

P. cookianum (Ememrald Gem) – 2’ An upright dwarf flax with 1.5” green leaves. Showy yellow flowers for added interest. Used in mass plantings.

P. cookianum (Cream Delight) – 3’ Broad plant with bold 2.5” wide arching leaves with cream-yellow midstripe and green margins edged with red.

P. cookianum (Tricolor) – 4’ Similar to ‘Cream Delight’. Wide leaves have a broad central green band surrounded by yellow stripes and red margins.

Dark Delight – 3’-4’ Slightly arching 1”-2” wide leaves are dark reddish brown. The darkest flax hybrid readily available in the U.S.

Dark Delight (Seedling) – 3’-4’ These seedlings are very uniform and seem as dark as the parent plants.

Dark Moon – 4’ Slightly arching 1.5”-2” wide purple-red leaves with grey cast underside. A new cultivar from South Africa.

Dazzler – 3’ Slightly arching 1.5” wide leaves are striped with deep maroon and scarlet. The reddest of the Flax. Remove old foliage.

Duet – 2’ Rigidly upright small flax with 1.5” wide green leaves that have cream colored margins. Green flowers are produced on short stems.

Dusky Chief – 3’-4’ Upright 1.5” wide maroon red foliage, curves gracefully at the tips. A beautiful medium sized red flax.

Firebird – 4’-5’ Upright plant with stiff 2” wide rose-red leaves with bronze-green margins. Red tones fade to bronze-orange in summer.

Flamingo – 2’ Arching 1.5” wide leaves in shades of orange, rose, light green and yellow. Similar to ‘Maori Sunset’.

Guardsman – 6’-7’ Upright growing with a 1.5” wide bronze-maroon leaves with scarlet margins. New from New Zealand.

Jack Sprat – 1.5’ Small upright plant with narrow one half inch wide twisting reddish-brown leaves. The smallest flax. Great in masses.

Maori Chief – 6’ Robust upright plant with 2.5” wide green centered rose-red margined leaves which arch at the tips.

Maori Maiden – 2’-3’ Medium sized plant with slightly arching 1.5” wide apricot to rose-red colored leaves with thin green margins.

Maori Queen – 4’-5’ Upright plant with 2” wide olive green leaves edged in rose-red. Edges fade to cream color. Cut out old foliage.

Monrovia Red – 2’-3’ Arching plant with 1.5” wide leaves of deep maroon-red. This is a sort of ‘Dazzler’ that was inappropriately named P. tenax “Atropurpureum Compacta’. Very good color.

Pink Stripe – 5’-6’ Upright plant with broad bronze-green leaves (almost grey) edged with pink. Nice cultivar, however, color tends to fade.

Radiance – 5’-6’ Upright plant with thin green and gold banding. An old cultivar that previously had been mislabeled ‘Williamsii Variegata’.

Rubrum – 2’ Small upright plant with maroon foliage. New cultivar from South Africa. About the same size as ‘Bronze Baby’ but darker.

Sea Jade – 4’-5’ Upright plant with blunt tipped rich green leaves that have a strong maroon to bronze midrib stripe. Unusual and attractive.

Sundowner – 6’-8’ Upright form with 2.5” wide bronze-green leaves with rose-pink margins, fading to cream in summer. New foliage is always stunning.

Sunset – 5’-6’ Upright long 1.5” wide leaves arch at the tips in apricot to pink tones, blending with green. Remove bronze foliage to maintain good color.

P. tenax – 8’ Large upright plant with 3’-4’ wide olive green leaves. Orange-red flowers on tall stalks in late spring. Very tough.

P. tenax (Atropurpureum) - 8’ Large upright reddish-purple form of the species. A seedling plant with some variability. Very tough.

Variegated Tom Thumb – 2’ Small upright plant with undulating one half inch wide green leaves with red-bronze margins. Our smallest green flax.

Wings of Gold – 3’-4’ New plant from South Africa. Similar if not the same as ‘Yellow Wave’.

Yellow Wave – 3’-4’. Wide plant with arching 2” wide green leaves with a central yellow band that fades to green in fall.