Other Names:  Tasmanian Flax Lily

Description:

This variety is grown primarily for its spikes of rich blue flowers that appear in mid spring, followed by attractive dark blue berries; best in light shade, but will tolerate coastal full sun; water regularly

Ornamental Features

Tasman Flax Lily is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent royal blue berries in early summer. Its attractive sword-like leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the year. It features delicate spikes of blue star-shaped flowers with gold anthers rising above the foliage in mid spring. The flowers are excellent for cutting.

Landscape Attributes

Tasman Flax Lily is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tasman Flax Lily is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Tasman Flax Lily will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Tasman Flax Lily is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, please use with caution in areas where hardiness is a factor.