California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site

Phormium tenax Jack Spratt - Dwarf New Zealand Flax

I use Phormium Jack Spratt as a groundcover. This Dwarf New Zealand Flax displays its colorful foliage all year long. The flowers are insignificant. Strong foliage colors like this are very effective mixed with grey plantings. Phormium Jack Spratt grows 18" to 2 feet tall and wide. The Dwarf New Zealand Flax may prefer full sun but seems quite at home in a moderately shady garden. Phormium Jack Spratt can get by in a fairly dry garden setting, though it does better with regular, if infrequent irrigation. This plant performs well from the coast to the much colder inland locations. Winter chill becomes an issue when temperatures drop below the mid teens.

Phormium tenax Jack Spratt

Rootbeer colored foliage of Phormium Jack Spratt - Dwarf New Zealand Flax. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.

Other plants from the Genus Phormium featured on this site:
Phormium Pink Stripe