Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri Cream Delight

Phormium cookianum 'Cream Delight', forming a beautiful dense clump with a slightly spreading habit, resembles a large grass with broad foliage, variegated with light green and cream yellow. This compact and particularly bright variety is a non-hardy perennial that thrives in mild climates, but prefers cool soils and the Atlantic coast over the Mediterranean, which is too dry in summer. It will also thrive in a large container, to be overwintered in cool climates.

Phormium cookianum or mountain flax belongs to the Agavaceae family, just like its cousin Phormium tenax, and both are native to New Zealand. However, the former shows less significant growth, is slightly less hardy, and prefers cooler, fertile soils. The 'Cream Delight' cultivar is a compact, variegated foliage form derived from Phormium cookianum. This superb rhizomatous perennial forms a wide non-spreading clump. With an upright and arching habit, it reaches an average height of 75cm (29.5in) depending on growing conditions, with a spread of 80cm (31.5in). The leaves are broad, up to 5cm (2in) wide, slightly arched, very long, flexible, pointed, and pendulous at their tips. They have a cream yellow centre, fine green stripes along the edges, and are finely edged with purple-red. Flowering occurs in May-June, but is rare and sparse in this variety. It takes the form of floral stems overhanging the foliage clump with their green tubular flowers tinged with yellow.

This Phormium is a highly ornamental plant, suitable for large beds or rockeries in mild climates. It will be disappointing in Mediterranean climates, but magnificent on the oceanic side of our country. Used as a specimen or planted in groups, it structures the space and gives a completely exotic charm to the garden. Like tall grasses, it is also a wonderful perennial for a modern garden with clean lines. In cold regions, it can be planted in a very large pot on the terrace or balcony, to admire its elegance in the summer, and overwintered frost-free in a cold greenhouse or unheated conservatory. In an urban garden, it softens concrete structures. For an exotic and contrasting atmosphere, it can be paired, for example, with Leptospermum scoparium, a pink to red ball-shaped flower in summer, Helichrysum rosmarinifolium 'Silver Jubilee', Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb', or Olearia macrodonta 'Major', plants also from Oceania, perfect like it for coastal areas.

The Maoris use Phormiums like we use flax, for their fibres which are exploited in the textile industry. This ability probably gave them the vernacular name 'New Zealand Flax' or 'Mountain Flax'.