I have had a package of sealed Phormium "Rainbow Lights" seeds for 4 years and just decided to open and plant. Upon further research, however, these are tricky and I have a new plant-eating infant with no time for "tricky" lol They need a cold period, so either fridge or winter sowing, then they'll germinate when warm. If anyone would like to try them, Id be happy to trade for a lower-maintenance seed .

Phormium tenax is usually naturally found in lowland and swampy areas perching on hummocks. Has very stiff and upright leaves to about 10', though some of the purple cultivars are definitely lax. Dark red flowers and seed pods. Will easily take moderate frosts down to about -8C. Usually grows out in the open, in full Kiwi sun. (High UV.) Summer temps usually around 20-30C. Phormium cookianum/colensoi is often found on hillsides up to about 1200m and in well-drained gullies. It has more floppy leaves, yellow flowers and brown twisted seed pods. Easily takes frosts and some snowfall, though not lasting. More of a bush-edge plant but also ok with being open, though it may not grow as tall. Both tolerate droughty spells. And frequent winter rains. Both have a very tough covering on the leaves, though they will fray if they suffer a lot of wind. Hardy by the sea. Possible over-wintering - cheat and remove a young fan from the rhizome. Trim it as you would a bearded iris - with the young growing tip being in the middle and the longest. Plant up in a gritty but moisture-holding brew so the roots will develop well. (If your summers are brutal - pot them on to something more moisture retentive.) That's insurance against disaster. If there aren't many pots then the inground proposal seems good - plus traditional hay bales around the edges and a thick cover of ag plastic, bubble wrap, fleece, old blankets - whatever is suitable for your area. When you bring them back for spring-summer harden off carefully so that leaf 'wax' can rebuild because that is what provides a lot of the hardiness. Mealy bugs. I would suspect deep droughting in the container or the lack of water-holding in the mix. Good drainage, yes, but not the sort of miserable mix that pretends to be wet on top while holding the lower reaches from rewetting. A possible solution (for some) may be the addition of pumice pieces of about 5mm to the mix. And repotting every one to two years, or adding a good organic mulch. They have extensive root systems and will quite quickly fill a container.

One thing not mentioned here and sadly enough, not at the nursery either, though it's a pretty well known phenomenon, is the tendency of phormium cultivars to "Revert". Many named varieties of phormium will "revert". As they mature some will abandon the cute size and pretty colors of their youth and start to grow much larger than promised, and the colors tend to revert to the olive green/bronze tone of elyisanfield's dug up plants. The landscaper may have indeed bought the right cultivar, but it just reverted when it got older. Some cultivars don't revert very often, some are notorious for it, but all can be susceptible to reverting. Bboy mentions a cultivar being "stable", that's what they're referring to, the tendency to not revert is stable. But even stable phormiums can revert occasionally. Btw, Linelle, lovely job on the landscape renovations.

Joe wrote: "Hard to tell the difference even when two good plants are side-by-side. But amongst a group of 'DD Seedling', one can see the subtle variability." Thanks for the info Joe. Speaking of variability, that's one of my biggest complaints about Phormiums. More than once I've planted a grouping (3 - 5) of Amazing Red, Pink Stripe, or Sundowner only to have them grow in very differently ways - size wise. Very frustrating. I had high hopes for Monrovia's 'Festival Grass' Cordyline x 'Jurred' but found it works best with some afternoon shade. I assumed that being a Cordyline that it would be tough as nails but that isn't the case. Been using the other clumping Cordyline 'Electric Pink' with success so far, especially in containers.