Re: Phormium tenax
David Poole wrote:
>
> Moira wrote:
>
> >If P. cookianum is less hardy I would be very surprised. In nature,
> >while P. tenax is a coastal and lowland species, P cookianum is known as
> >the mountain flax and occurs freely in many upland areas. Actually, like
> >a number of mountain species, it also inhabits sea cliffs (a lot occurs
> >on the cliffs around Wellington).
>
> I've always understood and assumed P. cookianum (colensoi) to be much
> hardier by long way. When I had the nursery up in the Midlands,
> there were only a few of the variegated forms available and P.
> cookianum 'Tricolor' was quite popular on account of its ability to
> withstand the typical, freeze-thaw cycle that we got up there. (snip)
> We did see 'Sundance' (I think that's the right name) and 'Yellow
> Wave' amongst the first imports from Duncan & Davies (Christchurch,
> New Zealand) who were starting to export heavily at that time and both
> were excellent in a 'normal' winter. 'Yellow Wave' in particular has
> proven itself to be remarkably tough and a huge clump of it in my
> sister's garden up in the Midlands is testament to its hardiness. I
> like its more compact habit and the leaves do not 'get in the way'
> unlike its larger brethren.
Dave
I can't let you get away with siting Duncan and Davies in Christchurch.
Right from their earliest days the nursery has been in or around New
Plymouth (western North Island rather than eastern South Island). Both
cities are great centres of horticulture, but New Plymouth has the edge
with a much moister summer climate (Christchurch is subject to awful
foehn winds over summer). Just outside NP is Pukeiti (Little Hill) which
is one of the world's major Rhododendron gardens. The "little hill" is
actually an ancient fossil cone of the adjacent Mount Taranaki (a
sleeping volcano of classic shape and the pride of the New Plymouth
landscape, making a magnificent backdrop for the town).
>
> Down here Phormiums of all sorts tend to be like Cordyline australis -
> ubiquitous and planted almost to an excess.
This is much the situation around here, though we also have wild patches
of both species of flax, especially along the coast, and Cordyline
australis often occurs as groves in farmland wherever the ancient forest
was cleared by burning (Cordyline roots were tough enough to survive and
grow again). I long ago decided flaxes were far to big and untidy for a
small garden like mine and banished the lot. I do actually have two
Cordylines, however. C australis came courtesy of nature and is well
above my head now in among a mixed boundary screen of native trees,
where it is entirely appropriate, but I do wish its dropped leaves were
not so woody, smothering and and slow to rot. The other which I acquired
last year, is C pumilia in a lovely red form (I think it is called Red
Fountain). This is like a slender and very well-behaved flax with rich
crimson foliage and I have put it as an accent in a mixed shrub border
(the one sheltered by the aforementioned native planting in fact).
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
