Libertia ixioides Taupo Sunset

Libertia ixioides Taupo Sunset is an amazing variety of Chilean Iris, whose multi-coloured foliage changes with the seasons. Alternating between variegated shades of bronze green, yellow, and orange, it takes on purplish-violet or brown hues in cold weather. This surprising plant elegantly structures flower beds, punctuating them with its grass-like silhouette. In late spring and early summer, it is adorned with beautiful delicate white star-shaped flowers, reminiscent of butterflies. This rhizomatous and evergreen perennial prefers slightly acidic and well-drained but moist soils. Plant it in full sun for the beauty of its foliage, in open ground in mild oceanic climates, or in pots to be stored indoors during winter elsewhere.

Libertia ixioides is a botanical species native to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, belonging to the Iridaceae family. The 'Taupo Sunset' cultivar, from which it originates, was selected for its unique foliage. This clump-forming perennial reaches about 40cm (16in) in all directions and has a moderately fast growth rate.
Libertia forms a dense tuft, slightly rigid, spreading in all directions. In late spring and early summer, panicles of 2 to 10 flowers with a diameter of 2 cm (1in), with three white petals sheathed in a bract, appear just above the leaves. The centre of the corolla is filled with yellow stamens. The plant produces an abundance of round and red-orange seeds that harmonise with the colours of the foliage. It develops magnificent evergreen foliage, composed of stiff, linear leaves, 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24in) long and 0.3 to 1.5 cm (0.5 to 1in) wide, which are multi-coloured.  It is strongly tinged with purplish-violet and brown in autumn and winter.

Plant Libertia Taupo Sunset in well-drained, humus-rich, and sandy soil, free of limestone. It is hardy down to -7°C and requires a sunny position to flower and display the beautiful colours of its foliage. Truly unique and attractive in many ways, both bright and dense, it is stunning in water gardens or combined with other perennials in flowerbeds, alongside heathers or Lithodora. It pairs well with Sisyrinchium, Camassia, Crocosmia crocosmiiflora Emily McKenzie, Liatris, red clover, Panicum, or Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'. This perennial will be appreciated in rockeries, borders, but also in pots on the patio, to be stored frost-free in cold regions.