Phormium tenax Special Red - New Zealand Flax

The 'Special Red' Phormium is a small variety of New Zealand Flax, beautifully colored and rather hardy for this type of plant, down to -10°C (14°F) at its lowest. This plant, adorned with warm and dark brown, red, and bronze hues, will bring a perfectly exotic touch to any decor.  It is attractive throughout the year with its foliage, but also offers a beautiful summer flowering with upright spikes, adorned with red tubular flowers visited by bees and butterflies. In a pot on the terrace, in a bed, or in a rock garden, this small phormium will make a sensation!

The 'Special Red' New Zealand Flax belongs to the agave family. It is a very compact form derived from, among others, the Phormium tenax, the largest of the two New Zealand species. This rhizomatous perennial develops slowly, forming a non-spreading wide clump. It has an erect habit and reaches about 50 cm (20in) in height depending on the growing conditions, with a spread of 50 to 70 cm. The leaves are quite narrow, very long, slightly stiff, and pointed at their tips. Their brown-red color somewhat turns to bronze green at the end of the season and in winter.  Flowering stems, at least 80 cm (32in) tall, appear from June to August, depending on the climate, towering over the foliage clump. They are green tinged with purple-violet and are adorned with curved tube-shaped flowers that turn more or less purple when ripe. This flowering attracts certain birds and many pollinating insects.

In the ground, this Special Red Phormium can be planted as a specimen or in groups, structuring the space and adding a very exotic charm to the garden. Like large  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 presence in the summer, and overwintered frost-free in a cold greenhouse or a slightly heated conservatory. In an urban garden, it softens concrete structures. For an exotic and contrasting atmosphere, it can be associated, for example, with Leptospermum scoparium Nanum Tui, a very floriferous soft pink ball in summer, crocosmias or garden marigolds with very vibrant colors, or blue-flowered agapanthus for color contrast.  

The Maoris use Phormiums like we use flax, for their fibers which are exploited in the textile industry. From this ability comes their vernacular name of 'New Zealand Flax'.