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Phormium Golden Ray - New Zealand Flax

Phormium x tenax Golden Ray
New Zealand Flax, Flax Lily

4,7/5
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Love at first sight, I'm smitten. This beauty is going to be the star of the garden this year.

Katia, 04/03/2021

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This plant carries a 12 months recovery warranty

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Value-for-money
This Phormium will be appreciated for its vigour and its bright foliage, composed of long variegated leaves in green and yellow with fine red-orange edges, gathered in a large 1.50m (5ft) clump. This spectacular evergreen perennial with a very exotic appearance likes mild climates. Hardy down to -7°C (19.4 °F) and quite resistant to drought once well established, it is recommended for coastal regions.
Flower size
1 cm
Height at maturity
1.50 m
Spread at maturity
1.50 m
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -12°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June
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Flowering time June to July
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Description

Phormium tenax Gold Ray is a recent, large variety of New Zealand Flax featuring particularly bright foliage. Its leaves are like wide variegated ribbons of green and yellow, finely edged with red-orange, and gathered in a fan shape, forming an imposing tuft with a slightly trailing habit. This evergreen plant offers a particularly exotic aspect to the garden throughout the year, including during its summer flowering with upright spikes adorned with highly nectar-rich tubular flowers. Whether planted individually or in groups, this architectural but not very hardy plant is ideal for coastal regions. It will also thrive in a large container, to be overwintered in cool climates.

 

The 'Gold Ray' New Zealand Flax belongs to the agave family. It is a recent variety derived from Phormium tenax, the larger of the two New Zealand species. This superb rhizomatous perennial develops into a non-spreading large clump. With an upright and arching habit, it reaches approximately 1.50m (5ft) in height depending on growing conditions, with a spread of 1.20m (3 ft 11 in) to 1.30m (4 ft 4 in), or even more in fertile and moist soil. The leaves are wide, measuring  5 to 7.5cm (2 to 3in), slightly arching, very long, a bit stiff, and pointed at their tips, light green streaked with yellow, each one margined with red-orange. Floral stems, at least 3m (10ft) tall, appear from May to July, depending on the climate, and tower above the foliage tuft. They are green, tinged with purple, in the form of curved tube-shaped flowers, which turn bright red when ripe. This flowering attracts certain birds and numerous pollinating insects.

 

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

The Maoris use Phormiums as we use linen, for their fibres that are used in the textile industry. This is probably where the vernacular name 'New Zealand Flax' comes from.

Phormium Golden Ray - New Zealand Flax in pictures

Phormium Golden Ray - New Zealand Flax (Foliage) Foliage
Phormium Golden Ray - New Zealand Flax (Plant habit) Plant habit

Flowering

Flower colour orange
Flowering time June to July
Inflorescence Spike
Flower size 1 cm

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour variegated

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1.50 m
Spread at maturity 1.50 m
Growth rate normal

Botanical data

Genus

Phormium

Species

x tenax

Cultivar

Golden Ray

Family

Agavaceae

Other common names

New Zealand Flax, Flax Lily

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference834192

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Planting and care

Phormium tenax 'Gold Ray' is a hardy plant that can be grown in open ground in regions where frost does not drop below -7°. Everywhere else, pot cultivation is more suitable, allowing for winter protection from frost in a cool and bright room.

Plant your Phormium in a container or large pot with the bottom lined with gravel, broken pottery shards, or clay pellets. The soil mix should be fertile and well-draining (1/3 leaf compost, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 ordinary garden soil enriched with a handful of bonemeal).

Place the plant in full sun. Water generously during the growing season to ensure the soil never completely dries out. Feed the plant with special "green plant" fertilizer diluted in the watering water once a month. In winter, reduce watering and fertilizing, and let the soil surface dry between waterings.

In regions with mild climates and light frosts, plant the Phormium in open ground, in a very well-drained and fertile soil, in full sun.

In summer, make sure the plant doesn't lack water. In winter, it will be satisfied with rainwater.

In case of forecasted heavy frost, apply a thick mulch at the base of the plant and cover it with fleece.

In the coldest regions, a thick mulch will help protect the roots from winter frost.

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Planting period

Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery
Type of use Border, Container, Greenhouse
Hardiness Hardy down to -12°C (USDA zone 8a) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 3 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Neutral
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Moist soil, draining, fertile

Care

Pruning instructions Remove faded flower stalks. Clean the clump when vegetation restarts by removing dry or blackened leaves.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time March, September
Disease resistance Very good
Overwinter Needs protection
4,7/5
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