Flaxes
Flaxes, also known as harakeke, are versatile and culturally significant plants known for their striking foliage and wide range of practical uses.
Solid and strappy, New Zealand flax is highly versatile, through their bold form and array of colours – pops of yellow, green, red and purple/brown in both solid and multi-toned. Their striking upright form leads to modern garden designs and styles.
Flaxes can stand solo in a planter, in mass plantings on difficult slopes, or as an accent amongst ornamental grasses for year-round colour. It’s deer resistant, drought tolerant, and makes a great bird magnet even in boggy areas.
Their leaves can be used in flower arrangements, for weaving and an excellent emergency substitute for twine to tie up plants. Smaller varieties can be used in urban plantings for maintenance free gardening.
How to plant
Choose a spot in full sun to part shade with well drained soil.
Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food. If the soil is clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.
Dig a hole 2 times the width and same depth as in its pot. Remove flax from pot and plant in hole.
Top with soil and water in well.
Mulch with bark/wood chips keeping away from base off plant.
Water once or twice a week depending on weather.
During spring/summer feed with Thrive All Purpose Plant Food Granules.
Flaxes can easily be grown in containers using a good potting mix and keeping them well watered in summer. We recommend using California Premium Potting mix and apply a liquid plant food during Spring/Summer.
Top care tips
To keep flax tidy, cut old foliage cleanly at base.
Plain green foliage growth appearing on coloured varieties should be removed before it takes over.
Lift and divide every few years to keep flax looking good. Mealybugs can infest plants and are hard to eradicate from inside long leaves.
Use Kiwicare natural pyrethrum insecticide. When grown inside, these plants are susceptible to many common pests affecting other houseplant, including mites and whitefly. Treat with Egmont Beat a Bug Spray.
There are 2 main types of flax:
1. Phormium Tenax (Swamp Flax) which has stiff upright leaves, reaches 2-3m tall and used in Traditional Maori weaving. Good in wet ground to soak up excess moisture or as a shelter belt. Its towering flower spikes attract Tuis and other native birds.
2. Phormium Cookianum (Mountain Flax) is shorter with long twisted seed capsules. They can have stiff or weeping foliage. These smaller flaxes make fantastic colourful container plants and are most tolerant of dry, windy sites.
Varieties we stock
Black Flax - Purple Haze, Dark Delight, Black Adder, Platts Black - all 1m high
Brown Flax - Velvet Underground - 1.2m high, Jack Spratt - 30cm high, Surfer - 80cm high
Yellow Flax - Yellow Wave - 1.5m, Cream Delight - 70cm, Blondie - 30cm
Green - Emerald Green - 60cm, Tom Thumb - 60cm high
Red Flax - Rainbow Red, Jester - both 0.8m high