Phormium tenax seeds - New Zealand flax

Phormium tenax, New Zealand flax, can be grown from seed. This allows you to grow several plants of this large and beautiful evergreen perennial at little cost, with some patience. It forms powerful, dense clumps that easily reach nearly 2m in height. Highly resistant to wind and sea spray, Phormium excels in coastal gardens, as well as in pots on a contemporary terrace. Undemanding, it mainly requires well-drained soil and good protection against hard frosts.

A botanical species of the Asphodelaceae family, Phormium tenax is a rhizomatous perennial native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island, where it colonises temporary marshes, riverbanks, coastal cliffs and damp meadows of the North and South Islands as well as several neighbouring islands. The plant forms rosettes of leaves arranged in a fan. The foliage emerges as rigid, folded straps, 1.50m to 2.5m long and 4 to 10cm wide, in a glossy medium green, sometimes slightly bronzed, with a more glaucous reverse. The plant reaches 1.80 m to 2m in height with a 1.50 m to 2m spread at around 8 to 10 years old. In summer, from June to July, tall flower stalks of 3 to 4m shoot up above the foliage. They bear panicles of tubular, dark red to orange-red, 2 to 4cm long flowers, very rich in nectar. In its native range, they are mainly visited by nectar-feeding birds; in our climate, they attract bees and other pollinating insects. The flowers are followed by erect, leathery capsules containing numerous black-brown seeds.
Sow in spring, under cover, at 18–21 °C.

In the garden, New Zealand flax acts as a large structural presence. It can be planted in a large exotic border, along a path or as a focal point near a terrace. In mild climates, plant it in groups of three around a Cordyline australis 'Torbay Dazzler' and surround it with soft grasses such as Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Black Beauty'. Its association with the fiery spikes of Kniphofia 'Alcazar' and the midnight blue umbels of Agapanthus 'Black Buddhist' will be very successful. In cold regions, it is better to grow it in a large pot and bring it indoors for winter to a very lightly heated but frost-free greenhouse or conservatory.

Phormium tenax is a major textile plant in New Zealand: known as harakeke, its leaves have provided a strong fibre for cordage, mats and clothing for centuries, still used and valued in contemporary Māori craftsmanship.