Graphic, colorful, requiring almost no maintenance, phormiums are very popular in gardens. Landscapers do not hesitate to integrate them into their compositions and they are right to do so!
A plant with multiple applications in a garden
There are only two species in the Phormium genus but they are divided into multiple cultivars, each more ornamental than the other.
Phormium cookianum, with its large, linear, arched leaves, can reach a height of 2 m and a spread of 3 m. It has a more flexible, drooping habit and is also more rounded than Phormium tenax, the New Zealand flax. The latter forms a tuft of stiff, linear, erect leaves which can reach 4 m in height for 2 m of spread. At the landscape level, we can already perceive the difference in design between the two species: the first one forming a more rounded clump with a drooping habit, the other one being more erect, taller and more slender. The two species are therefore complementary in a garden and can be used in all sorts of ways...
Planted in a mineral garden, the foliage of the phormium will seem to emerge from a mulch of pebbles or gravel, highlighting its very graphic side. In modern gardens with a very clean look, it can be used with almost black purple foliage such as 'Dark Delight' or 'Black Adder', ideal to contrast with a white mineral mulch or with rounded clumps of plants with silver foliage such as Leucophyllum frutescens or Leucophyta brownii.
Contrast is not only a matter of round/square shapes, but also of wispy/smooth textures and of course white/black colors. These associations are always winning in the garden and ensure a delicate and very contemporary decor.
Very trendy at the moment, the concept of a 'garden in motion' based on the omnipresence of grasses floating in the slightest breath of air and whose textured foliage reflects the variations of light, can welcome a few phormiums to create contrast with varieties erected in the background or, on the contrary, by punctuating the garden with low cultivars similar to grasses such as 'Emerald Gem', 'Mountain Flax' or 'Maori Chief' with their beautiful bronze foliage streaked with pink and yellow.
Another concept that is very popular with landscapers is Xeriscaping. This new trend is inspired by climate change, which is leading to more frequent droughts, but also by ecology and the desire to preserve resources, especially water.
In this type of garden, landscapers install plants that can be satisfied with very little water and offer their clients a garden without watering! Phormiums, which do not require much water (once they are well installed) and which appreciate well-drained soil, fit perfectly into this concept. Beware that some cultivars require a fresh soil, so ask beforehand if you live in a Mediterranean area and wish to do without watering.
Phormiums are wonderful in Mediterranean type gardens planted on slopes, in rock gardens or at the foot of palms, in the company of Strelitzias, in the background of a lantana grove or not far from a callistemon.
Here again, the vast palette of foliage colors allows you to play on contrasts. For example, use phormiums with dark foliage in the background of plants with yellow flowers, they will serve as a showcase.
At the foot of arbutus trees, cork oaks or eucalyptus, plant varieties with colorful foliage such as 'Sundowner', the incredible 'Pink Panther' in bright pink with bronze edges or 'Rainbow Queen' in bronze with pink and purple.
In seaside gardens, phormiums are welcome, as they are very tolerant of sea spray and wind. They grow very well in sandy or stony soil, so don't hesitate!
In exotic gardens, phormiums are the perfect accompaniment to banana trees, alocasia, bamboo or cannas. Choose preferably green shades like the two typical species, or variegated varieties like 'Apricot Queen', 'Variegatum' or 'Yellow wave' which will fit better in the context of the exotic garden than the other cultivars.
Hardy or not hardy?
Widely used around the Mediterranean, phormiums are increasingly being acclimatized in gardens further north.
Originally from New Zealand, they are not the most rustic, we must admit! However, planted in well-drained soils, on a mound or on a slope, in a sunny place and sheltered from cold winds, they can resist to frost up to -7°C. Be careful, the purple or black cultivars are a bit more fragile!
Phormium in pot?
Although some of the plants have a strong development, it is quite possible to plant phormiums in a pot, which will allow them to be sheltered in winter in the coldest regions. In this case, prefer dwarf varieties like 'Bronze Baby' or 'Jester' which will be easier to move.
