Libertia ixioides Taupo Blaze

Libertia ixioides Taupo Blaze, is a variety of Chilean Iris that is highly ornamental due to its variegated foliage and its dense and spreading habit, reminiscent of a small grass. Its leaves are long and in green, yellow and orange shades, which take on beautiful shades of red and purple when exposed to cold. In late spring and early summer, it is adorned with lovely white star-shaped flower clusters resembling butterflies. This rhizomatous and evergreen perennial prefers acidic and well-drained, but moist, soils. Plant it in full sun, for the beauty of its foliage, in mild oceanic climates or in pots to overwinter elsewhere.

Libertia ixioides is a botanical species native to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, belonging to the iris family. The Taupo Blaze cultivar was selected for its unique foliage. This clump-forming perennial reaches a height of 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in), a width of 30 cm (12in), and has a moderately fast growth rate. In late spring and early summer, 2 to 10 flowers 2 cm (1in) in diameter, with three white petals enclosed in a bract, appear just above the leaves. The centre of the corolla is filled with yellow stamens. The plant produces an abundance of round seeds that are reddish-brown with golden highlights when ripe, and these harmonize with the colours of the foliage. The evergreen foliage is composed of stiff, linear leaves, measuring 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24in) in length and 0.3 to 1.5 cm (0.5 to 1in) in width, which are multicolored and strongly tinted with purple in autumn and winter.

Plant Libertia Taupo Blaze in well-drained, humus-rich and sandy soil, free from limestone. It is hardy to -7°C and requires a sunny position to flower and display the beautiful colours of its foliage. Truly unique and attractive in many ways, both bright and dense, it looks stunning in water gardens or paired with other perennials in borders, alongside heathers or Lithodora. It pairs well with Sisyrinchium, Crocosmia crocosmiiflora 'Emily McKenzie', Liatris, Panicum or Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'. This perennial will be appreciated in rock gardens, borders, but also in containers on the patio.