Colour your garden with contrasting plants
For use in the garden or even cut for foliage in the vase, yellow, plum and salmon are only some of the colours to try.
Colour does not only have to come from flowers and what better way to add colour than with Flaxes, which will last in the garden for many years.
Flaxes, also known by the botanical name of Phormium, have been around in local gardens for many years but have had a surge in popularity of late as they are extremely water wise and tough.
For use in the garden or even cut for foliage in the vase, yellow, plum and salmon are only some of the colours to try.
Phormium hails from New Zealand, where they grow wild everywhere as I saw on my trip down under at the beginning of the year.
The natural variety is a gorgeous, olive grey green.
New hybrids in different colours are what we love and are so versatile in the garden.
They all make striking and unusual accents points in the garden and look awesome grown in containers.
Most often recognised as a large spiky plant that makes an interesting focal point in the garden and in upmarket landscape designs.
With sword-like leaves that shoot up from the base of the plant and towards midsummer mature plants shoot up an unusual orange flower that towers above the foliage.
Where to plant them
Best in full sun to partial shade they will grow in almost any part of your garden.
The greener varieties will even grow well in light shade all day.
As the autumn and winter cooler temperatures set in the colours become more intense adding to the colour palate of the cool season garden.
Flax prefer a compost rich, moist soil to grow the best but actually once established, the plants really aren’t fussy about conditions.
A flax can easily be grown in containers as long as the container drains well.
Use Flax as a contrast plant in your designs.
The dwarf brown and plum varieties look great planted to contrast against yellow leaves for a dramatic contrast and as a foil against bright greens as a complimentary contrast.
They can even be grown successfully in bog areas as they don’t mind getting their feet wet.
Even though they are water wise a regular watering schedule during the first growing season will establish a strong root system.
To keep them neat remove the old foliage as they brown.
Flax is the one plant you can always reply on to keep your garden interesting.
Whether it’s a dry water wise garden or a tropical lush garden, Flax will be the centre piece adding that something special that brings it all together.
n Eckards
