Phormium cookianum Mini Magic

Phormium ‘Mini Magic’ is a small New Zealand flax resembling black grass. Its dense, upright and supple clump of foliage is intense purple with a very dark sheen. Reaching no more than 30 to 40cm in height and spread, ornamental all year round, this variety easily finds a place in small flower beds or in pots on a terrace. It will need winter protection outside mild climates.

Phormium ‘Mini Magic’ belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. This hybrid derives from Phormium cookianum, a species native and endemic to New Zealand, found on the North, South and Stewart Islands. It grows there on coastal cliffs, in marshy areas or on mountain slopes, often at low altitude. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant that retains its foliage all year round in temperate climates.
'Mini Magic' is a recent cultivar from a horticultural breeding programme. This variety is distinguished by its particularly compact habit: it forms a small, dense, spreading clump composed of many upright to slightly arching leaves. The plant reaches a height of 30 to 40cm, with an equivalent width, whether in the ground or in a pot. Its leaves are long, narrow, fairly supple, lanceolate and slightly glossy. Their colour is very dark, with deep purple, garnet, violet-black and copper highlights. Flowering has not been described in this miniature cultivar.

Phormium ‘Mini Magic’ enlivens borders, contemporary planting schemes and container displays with its dark, glossy foliage. It works well in contrast with light-coloured grasses such as Carex testacea 'Lime Shine', silver-leaved perennials like Artemisia 'Little Mice' or purple-leaved gauras. In a pot, it adds structure alongside plants with a supple or trailing habit, such as Dichondra 'Silver Falls' or calibrachoas or mini-petunias. In a coastal garden, it naturally integrates into exotic scenes, rockeries or gravel settings.

The Maori use Phormiums as we use flax, for its fibres, which are used in the textile industry. From this ability comes their common name 'New Zealand flax'.