Unless you’re selecting a cricket team, reliability isn’t the most prized of virtues. In fact some people probably don’t even consider reliability a virtue at all. Yet if you go behind the scenes of any organisation worth its salt, be it the local P and C, or the Australian test team, you’ll find a few consistent performers that give the group a spine. The same is true of gardens.
In every garden there are prima donnas, the stars of the show, the belles of the ball. But in the very best gardens, the prima donnas are allowed to shine courtesy of a framework of tough, reliable plants. You know the type, don’t you? I’m referring to those two or three different species that seem so content with their lot that they quietly go about the business of growing and looking good day in, day out, irrespective of weather or season.
At my place, one of the most reliable plants is a New Zealand flax. I purchased it as Phormium tenax ‘Purpurea’, but it’s never been anything like purple. Rather, olive-bronze leaves suggest that it’s a seed raised plant that hasn’t come true to type, but despite being the wrong colour, it has proven a very worthy performer. I’ve planted it in what I call the “sunset garden”, a wide border full of plants toned copper, bronze and claret. When back lit by the setting sun, my unnamed flax absolutely glows in the richest caramel colour imaginable, making a striking contrast with the purple leaved Sedum ‘Matrona’ planted at its feet.
Despite an unmatched ability to catch the light, I would grow this plant purely for its dependability. For one, my flax takes a howling westerly gale in its stride. For those who’ve ever dug up a mature specimen of Phormium tenax, this should come as little surprise. The Latin word “tenax” translates as tenacity or holding fast. A flax’s root system might be shallow, but it grips the soil like you wouldn’t believe, allowing it to grow on exposed cliffs and headlands in its native New Zealand. I’ve actually seen the species planted as a very effective windbreak.
The other outstanding trait of Phormium tenax, and its relative Phormium cookianum, is hardiness. Frost and drought pose very few problems for established plants. In the recent dry spell during December and January, my flaxes looked no different than they did following the above average rainfall we received in November last year. This all-round hardiness is probably due to the tough leaves, which are very smooth and leathery. Because of a high tensile strength, Phormiums were widely used by the Maori to make ropes, baskets and even defensive shields capable of stopping a musket ball. Maori ropes were so highly regarded that during the 1800’s, an international trade emerged, with the Royal Navy becoming one of the main customers.
One final, but not unimportant quality, possessed by the NZ flaxes is that of architectural beauty. The larger forms, which can attain heights of two metres or more, are one of the best of all plants in a mixed border, providing a resting point for the eye and a textural contrast to neighbouring plants. The big Phormiums are also ideal as stand alone, specimen plants. They are well suited to growing in containers, and would be an excellent choice to define an axis, or provide a focal point at the end of a long, straight path.
Colour-wise, flaxes offer plenty of scope. Phormium tenax is a refreshing shade of green like a Granny Smith apple, while the true Phormium ‘Purpurea’ is rich burgundy. The old cultivar ‘Tricolor’, which has red and white variegations, is still one of the best, while ‘Yellow Wave’ offers leaves striped cream, green and yellow. ‘Maori Chieftain’ is a good cultivar with bronze leaves edged pink, and ‘Platt’s Black’ unlike the name suggests, is a very dark purple. In terms of size, most range from one to two metres in height, though a number of dwarf cultivars have been developed including ‘Surfer Boy’ to 30cm tall and ‘Jester’ to 75cm.
Reliability is a trait often overlooked in plants, as much as it is in people. But reliable plants are the mainstays of any half decent garden, and for one very good reason: you can count on them to hang in there and get the job done. The next time you’re looking for a plant that will earn its keep, look no further than the NZ flaxes. They are exceptional plants.
First published in the Toowoomba Chronicle 21st February 2009
