Horticulture

hbcadmin, 6 February 2017

Plant of the Month

 

The New Zealand Flax (Phormium spp.) are an excellent collection of shrubs which can be used for architectural effect in planters or in mixed borders and as they are evergreen provide interest throughout the year.

Varieties include:

• Phormium ‘Rainbow Sunshine’, pictured in October 2009 with its bright red leaves.
• Phormium cookianum subsp. Hookeri ‘Cream Delight’ variegated cream and green leaves which can reach over 2 metres.
• Phormium tenax ‘Purpureum’ a large and vigourous purple variety.
• Phormium ‘Bronze Baby’ a smaller variety reaching 60cm.
• Phormium ‘Dazzler’.
• Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri ‘Tricolor’.

The species prefers a sunny, moist but free draining site and may need protecting against frost and droughts until well established. It can be split between March and May.