Re: Phormium tenax

At 05:53 PM 10/7/99 -0700, Margy Houtz wrote:
>I'm thinking of planting New Zealand Flax along a very long, open fence
>at the front of our property;
>my questions are two:
>  <snip>
>            2. I would prefer one of the cream/green hybrids...or 
>               possibly a combination of cream/green and some of the 
>               bronzy ones...I'm looking for a very dramatic,
>               "architectural" look.

Margy -

New Zealand Flax is certainly architectural and very dramatic.  I'm not
sure if it is the best choice for your situation, depending upon the site,
but I tend to appreciate this plant as a 'specimen' rather than as a
mass planting.  The newer selected cultivars with the wonderfully
colourful foliage also tend to revert rather easily to various other
forms or forms with more (or all) green.  I have a P. 'Maori Maiden'
(I think) that is now routinely throwing our robust dark, olive green
leaves instead of the more lax, apricot-to-cream leaves with green
edging that we planted it for.  It is clear that if let on its own, the
dark green would take over in a few years.

I have seen impressively beautiful rows of the older colored forms of
Phormium, the dark green/bronze and the tall variegated forms.  These
are often still available at some discount garden centers.  They are
very robust, tall, and much more stable than some of the modern forms.
San Marcos Growers, a California wholesale grower in southern Calif.,
has an informative page about various cultivars (including these):
http://www.smgrowers.com/netflax.htm
If you can get them, I think the larger, older forms would be the most
appropriate for your project.

These plants are certainly the rage locally - you seem them everywhere,
and often in great quantity.  Unfortunately, as they make a very strong
statement in the landscape, they are often more difficult to place than
people think and many poor planting examples can be found by home
gardeners who have been swept away but these dramatic plants.  So much
so that I had to laugh when I was reading a somewhat serious article
in a local botanical garden's newsletter - it was on the topic of New
Zealand flora.  The author, a well-known professor with a good reputation
for serious botany, surprized me with the insertion of a remark about
Phormiums among his otherwise dry text - '. . . planted by
unimaginative gardeners everywhere' (!).    ;-)

I love these plants and have often used them in designs, but they do
have their problems (strong colors, tendancy to revert).  As with many
plants, they should be used carefully to ensure the best effect.

Sean O.


Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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