Add a touch of exotic flair to your outdoor space with the Best New Zealand Flax Varieties discussed below.
This versatile and beautiful plant has become even more fascinating to gardeners and botanists alike. Check out the Best New Zealand Flax Varieties in this article that offer unique colors, textures, and growth habits.
Low-growing cultivars
1. Apricot Queen
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Apricot Queen’
USDA Zones: 8-11
This gorgeous perennial boasts large, sword-shaped leaves that start off apricot in color and gradually mature to a lovely light yellow with a striking green border.
2. Amazing Red
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Amazing Red’
USDA Zones: 9-11
Phormium ‘Amazing Red’ is a perfect New Zealand Flax variety for those with small gardens. The leaves have a dark reddish-brown hue, adding a touch of sophistication.
3. Rainbow Sunrise
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Rainbow Sunrise’
USDA Zones: 8a-11
Also known as Maori Sunrise, it is a phormium variety with a slightly smaller size than other phormiums. It showcases a stunning color range of yellow, salmon, and bronze.
4. Shiraz New Zealand Flax
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Shiraz’
USDA Zones: 7a-10b
This New Zealand Flax variety is a perfect option for those who want a compact plant with striking, upright foliage. The leaves resemble swords and have a beautiful bronze-wine color.
5. Amazing Red
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Amazing Red’
USDA Zones: 7a-10b
Phormium ‘Amazing Red’ is a captivating cultivar of the New Zealand Flax plant that boasts multi-colored foliage. This variety typically grows up to 3-5 feet tall.
6. Wings of Gold
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Wings of Gold’
USDA Zones: 8-11
This hardy perennial and clumping plant is a small variety of flax that features stunning leaves. The leaves have a green center and are golden on the edges.
7. Platt’s Black
Botanical Name: Phormium Platt’s Black
USDA Zones: 9-11
Phormium ‘Platt’s Black’ is an attractive New Zealand Flax variety with almost black leaves that arch and spread, slowly reaching up to a height of 3 to 4 feet.
8. Flamingo
Botanical Name: Phormium cookianum
USDA Zones: 7a-11
Phormium ‘Flamingo’ is a striking variety of this plant, characterized by its long, sword-like leaves that bear vertical stripes in a beautiful rose pink color.
Medium to Tall Cultivars
9. Bronze Flax
Botanical Name: Phormium tenax ‘Atropurpureum’
USDA Zones: 7-11
Atropurpureum features upright leaves with a unique combination of olive green with red-bronze streaks, tips, ribs, and margins that shine brightly in the sunlight.
10. Cream Delight
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Cream Delight’
USDA Zones: 9-11
‘Misty Cream’ can reach up to 2-3 feet tall; this drought-tolerant variety is deer-resistant. It displays bronze brown foliage with central stripes of apricot, pink, or yellow.
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11. Dusky Chief
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Dusky Chief’
USDA Zones: 8-11
Phormium ‘Dusky Chief’ is a New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows upright, reaching a height of 6 to 8 feet. Its leaves gracefully curve near the tips.
12. Rainbow Queen
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Rainbow Queen’
USDA Zones: 8-11
Its striking foliage features upright, strap-shaped leaves that have a bronze-green hue. The foliage is further accentuated by rose-red stripes, adding a touch of visual interest.
13. Pink Stripe
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Pink Stripe’
USDA Zones: 8-11
Also known as the Pink New Zealand Flax, it is a spectacular cultivar that grows at a slow pace, reaching a height of 2 to 3 feet in an open rosette.
14. Golden Ray
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Golden Ray’
USDA Zones: 8a-11
It is an upright to semi-arching plant that can grow up to 4 to 5 feet tall. Its leaves feature a broad mid-green central band that is surrounded by creamy yellow stripes.
15. Yellow Wave
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’
USDA Zones: 9-11
Phormium ‘Yellow Wave,’ a New Zealand Flax cultivar, is a stunning plant that can grow up to 3-4 feet tall. Its arching leaves feature a central yellow band.
16. Dark Delight
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Dark Delight’
USDA Zones: 9-11
Also known as the Red New Zealand Flax, it can grow up to 4 feet tall. Its slightly arching leaves have a striking dark redd brown color, adding a bold touch to any garden.
17. Purpureum New Zealand Flax
Botanical Name: Phormium tenax Purpureum Group
USDA Zones: 7-11
The plant features a basal rosette of strap-shaped foliage with a rich and deep purple color. These leaves gracefully arch over towards the tips, adding a sense of elegance to the plant.
18. Sweet Mist
Botanical Name: Phormium ‘Sweet Mist’
It is a dwarf variety that grows to a height of only 12-15 inches and has a spread of 2-3 feet. The foliage is a soft green color with yellow stripes.
