Phormium tenax Flamingo - New Zealand Flax

Phormium tenax 'Flamingo' is a remarkably colourful variety of New Zealand Flax, with a very exotic appearance. This plant forms a dense clump of upright, long, ribbon-like leaves of an astonishing pink, margined with green. Well adapted to mild coastal climates, this Phormium should be grown in containers in colder regions to be protected during winter. However, it can withstand temperatures down to -10°C (14 °F)t under good conditions (well-drained soil and sunny exposure). A very architectural plant, it will be valuable in contemporary or Mediterranean gardens. 

New Zealand Flax belongs to the Agavaceae family, like Agaves, Yuccas, and Cordylines. But some botanical classifications consider it as a Hemerocallidaceae, a Liliaceae, a Phormiaceae, or even a Xanthorrhoeaceae, which shows how original this genus is! 'Flamingo' is a very beautiful variety derived from Phormium tenax, the largest and hardiest of the two New Zealand species. More adapted to intermittently dry soils than P. cookianum, once well established, P. tenax is a widely spread plant in its country of origin, where it colonizes various environments and soils. This superb rhizomatous perennial develops into a large, non-spreading clump composed of multiple rosettes. Each rosette consists of a bunch of longitudinally folded, overlapping leaves, forming perfect fans.
With an upright and bushy habit, this relatively compact variety reaches 1 to 1.20 m (3 ft 4 in to 3 ft 11 in) in all directions, depending on growing conditions. The leaves are wide, up to 6 cm (2.4 in), slightly arched for some on the periphery, very long, leathery, pointed at their tips, pink bordered with khaki green. Very tall flower stalks (up to 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)) appear from July to September, depending on the climate, overtopping the foliage clump. They bear curved, tubular flower spikes that turn orange-brown when ripe. This nectar-rich flowering attracts certain birds and numerous pollinating insects.
This Phormium grows in most soils, provided they are well-drained. It appreciates having access to moisture in summer and adapts well to coastal situations, tolerating the ambient wind. It thrives in full sun or possibly in partial shade. The rootstock withstands temperatures down to around -10°C (14 °F), but the foliage may suffer from -7/-8°C (19.4/17.6 °F) onwards. That's why planting in containers is preferable in cold climates to be able to overwinter it safely.

Phormium Flamingo is a plant of great ornamental value, suitable for large beds or large rockeries in mild climates. Used as a specimen or planted in groups, it structures the space, and its pink foliage goes well with plants with grey or bluish foliage. Associate it with Teucrium fruticans Azureum, with its silver-grey foliage and blue flowering, Salvia leucantha, a sage with a very artistic blue-white flowering, or with the small Eucalyptus gunnii France Bleu Rengun, with its graceful habit and finely bluish foliage. It will also create superb scenes in the company of beautiful Agapanthus with blue or white flowers, and for a resolutely exotic composition, associate it with Caesalpinia gilliesii with its fascinating and delicate flowers, or with Strelitzia reginae, the aptly named bird of paradise with its sculptural bird-shaped flowers.

The Maoris use Phormiums as we use flax, for their fibres which are used in the textile industry. They probably got the vernacular name 'New Zealand Flax' from this use.