Re: Phormium tenax
Oron Peri wrote:
>Phormium tenax is not a very reliable plant in Israel,
[Snip]
>Variegated forms never last more than a few mounts .......
[Snip]
>They grow best in rockeries or in elevated beds where drainage is good.
Isn't this the ultimate proof of the immense variation in cultivation
requirements of a single species in our respective countries? Here,
where summers are cooler and winters warmer (than N. Israel at least)
Phormiums invariably do better in deep, moist soils and in fact are
happier at the water's edge than anywhere else. Elevated beds with
sharp drainage would, unless very heavily irrigated, result in stunted
plants. Throughout the bay area, we have great swathes of Phormium
and to my mind, both the green and variegated/purple forms of heavily
over-used. The biggest and best clumps grow in drainage ditches and
at poolsides where the roots can tap a nearby water supply. They are
invariably 'flooded out' in winter with the rhizomes being partly
submerged for at least part of the year. In such spots, the leaves
easily grow to 3 metres or more long. In well drained or dry soils, 2
metres or less is the norm.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
