Phormium Jester - New Zealand Flax

The Phormium hybrid Jester is a variety of New Zealand Flax with moderate growth, easily noticeable in the garden due to its colourful foliage. Its long, flexible leaves are quite narrow, forming a variegated bundle dominated by tones of pink, copper, red, and bronze, tempered by the tender green bordering each ribbon-shaped leaf. This variety is hardy down to 7°C (44.6°F) in well-drained soil and prefers cool soils, moist in summer. Phormiums offer an almost infinite range of colours and are fantastic perennials for mild climates. Along with cordylines, callistemons, and bamboos, they bring a remarkable touch of exoticism to coastal gardens. They also thrive in large pots to be overwintered under protection.

The 'Jester' New Zealand Flax belongs to the agavaceae family. It is a hybrid variety resulting from the Phormium cookianum or mountain flax, and the P. tenax, the larger of the two New Zealand species. This superb rhizomatous perennial grows in a large, non-invasive clump. With an erect and slightly spreading habit, it grows quickly and reaches an average height of 1m (3.28ft) depending on the growing conditions, with a spread of 80cm (31.5 in) or more in fertile, moist soil. The leaves are quite narrow  (4 to 5cm (1.6 to 2 in)), 1.20m (4ft) long, flexible, arched, and pointed at the ends. They are bright pink in the centre, regularly margined with light green, and the central zone takes on a more coppery, reddish-bronze hue at the end of the season and in winter. Tall flower stems of at least 1.40m (5ft) appear from May to July, depending on the climate, towering above the foliage clump. They bear curved tube-shaped flower spikes that turn cream to greenish as they mature. This flowering attracts certain birds and numerous pollinating insects.

This Phormium is a plant of great ornamental value, suitable for large beds or large rockeries in mild climates. Whether used individually or planted in groups, it structures the space and adds a very exotic charm to the garden. It can be enhanced by ground cover plants such as erigerons, creeping rosemary, lady's mantle, or blue fescues. Like large grasses, it is also a wonderful perennial for a modern garden with clean lines, installed on a bed of pebbles for example. In colder regions, it can be planted in a large pot on a terrace or balcony to admire its presence during the growing season and overwintered frost-free in a cold greenhouse or a lightly heated conservatory. In an urban garden, it softens concrete structures. For an exotic and contrasting ambiance, it can be paired with Leptospermum scoparium, a pink to red ball-shaped flower blooming in summer, Helichrysum rosmarinifolium 'Silver Jubilee', Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb', or Olearia macrodonta 'Major', which are also perfect plants for coastal areas.

Maoris use Phormiums like we use linen, for their fibres that are used in the textile industry. This is probably why they are commonly known as 'New Zealand Flax'.