Phormium in its native land ...

18 years ago

I'm in Washington State in the US and saw someone state on our local Pacific Northwest forum that she thinks Phormium grows in the water in New Zealand. I have never heard that before, and it seems to need good drainage here. Can you all tell me what conditions Phormium grows in in the wild? I know you get more year round rain than we do and probably warmer winters. What kind of soil and water does Phormium like in the wild? is it a wetland plant? seems hard to believe from my experience! but could be so I guess, in a different climate and soil.

Is it a popular garden plant in NZ? we only get a few cultivars here in Washington but it's more popular in California, where the winters are warmer. Mostly dwarf cultivars. I've seen the full size versions in older gardens in California and they are HUGE.

Thanks in advance!

Regina

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Comments (5)

greenfingers_ni
18 years ago
Hello Regina,

Yes, flax is more a wetland plant in N.Z, it grows in a wide variety of conditions, but not completely submerged for extended periods! It grows throughout N.Z as well as inhabiting many of our wild and isolated offshore islands. There are 2 varieties of flax - mountain flax (P. cookanium) and common/swamp flax (P. tenax). P cookanium will not tolerate wet feet as much as what P. tenax will, whereas P. cookanum will tolerate colder temperatures than P. tenax.

Temperatures where I live range from 23-24 deg. celcius in summer with humidity levels of approx 80% (at worst) and in winter we're lucky to have 5 frosts in the season - average temp is about 5-10 deg celcius, often warming up to a balmy 12 deg.

Flax does quite well along waterways - it is the dominant plant in most of the peat swamps (that haven't been fully drained) surrounding the city where I live, and also along our stream and river banks. We have a spring on our property and the only plant that will put up with continuously wet feet is flax. Once established, flax is hardy - I have seen it thriving in wild coastal conditions and in solid clay.

It's a popular plant for those of us who like attracting native birds to our gardens - it produces beautiful red flowers, which birds, like our Tui, love drinking nectar from. There are so many cultivars of fantastic colourings and varigated leaves, but I still prefer plain ol' green flax! It grows to be a very tall plant - up to 4 m, unless you have a dwarf cultivar, I guess thats why you see mostly dwarf cultivars - not many people will willingly like to be dwarfed by this plant. It also forms large clumps measuring as wide as they are tall....not a plant you want to move when it's mature!

If searching the net for info, try searching for Harakeke -the Maori name for flax.

I hope this helps you!
macbirch
18 years ago
Flax are extremely fashionable here in Canberra right now. They are available in a range of colours. They've been used to good effect in a front garden near us, encircling a small front lawn. Looks stunning with the modern architecture of the house. But just today it occurred to me that they are starting to look kind of big. Years ago, when there was only one green variety available, we thought about planting one but the man in the nursery warned us to think very carefully about it. What's the smallest dwarf you can get? I'm guessing you may have cultivars that aren't for sale here yet. Nice to know the Maori name for it, which isn't used here. I must try googling it.
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greenfingers_ni
18 years ago
From what I've seen there isn't "one" smallest dwarf - there are a whole host that are supposed to be no more than 1 m in height. Dwarf flaxes are nearly always sold with "up to 1 m" on the label. My hubby uses the rule of thumb of doubling any nursery label size, as that size is the height most plants get to before a property is sold, and the new owners rip everything out to start anew...

If height is a problem, you can use weeping cultivars rather than erect ones. Some dwarves I've seen and liked are Bronze Baby, Jack Spratt, Elfin, Duet, Evening Glow and Apricot Queen. There are new cultivars coming onto the market all the time, so there are no doubt others that outdo these.
macbirch
18 years ago
Ah yes, nursery labels. One tip I was told by someone in a nursery was a plant in Canberra will get to about halfway between the Sydney wholesaler's label and the Melbourne wholesaler's label. This was after we planted a 1.5m shrub under our ensuite window and then noticed it being sold as a 3-4m shrub. Luckily it has fine foliage and can be pruned easily. With a flax you need to be a little more sure of how much space to allow for it. I look forward to seeing what cultivars the nurseries have next spring.
vetivert8
18 years ago
I have two small flaxes. One I got from Parva Plants in 2000 - P. 'Thumbelina'. It's a dark purply bronze and has remained a petite plant in a pot all this time. So far it's about 30-40cm high and maybe 30 across. I repot regularly so I can't put it's size down to starvation at all.

The other is one I got from a church fair. It's green with bronze edging and the leaves are somewhat twisted. I thought it might be 'Surfer' but I'm not sure. No label. It, too, has stayed small and unassertive although healthy and happy.

Neither has flowered yet so propagation is bound to be vegetative.

The only drawback with 'Thumbelina' is a need for seasonal grooming, but that's OK.

Only people with vast areas can cope with a full-scale Phormium tenax - 2-2.5m high and wide - and that's before flowering. Mountain flax isn't quite so bad - but please keep it well back from paths unless you love getting your gumboots filled with water after rain...

Phormium in its native land ...

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greenfingers_ni

macbirch

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