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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Phormiaceae (~Xanthorrhoeaceae) |
| Origin: New Zealand (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Yellow/Chartreuse Foliage: Yes |
| Variegated Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Parentage: (P. 'Yellow Wave' x P. cookianum 'Tricolor') |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 3-5 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Phormium 'Yellow Queen' (New Zealand Flax) - New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows to 3-4 feet tall with slightly arching and twisting 1 1/2" wide pale yellow leaves with green margins. Plant in full sun to light shade. Can tolerate fairly dry conditions (coastal) but looks best with occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to 15-20 F. Possibly root hardy below these temperatures but with severe foliage damage unless protected. We received this plant originally as 'Apricot Queen' in 1985 from Margaret Jones's New Zealand Flax Hybridisers Nursery but over the years it has seemingly lost all of its apricot coloration. We feel it is still a good plant but the name misleading so we now call this plant 'Yellow Queen' and have purchased new stock of 'Apricot Queen' from New Zealand that has apricot coloration. Over the years this plant has proved to be a little variable in height in our garden planting. We have had plants in containers for 10 years that never exceeded 2 feet while others in the ground for a similar period of time have reached 4 feet or more (all from the same parent stock). We like this plant but wish it would behave itself. Variegation is stable with little or no reversions noted other than the loss of the apricot tones. This cultivar survived many years in a pond planting with its crown elevated above the water surface and was also used in large hanging baskets at Roger's Gardens Nursery in Corona del Mar (as pictured elsewhere on our website). The original 'Apricot Queen' was the result of crossing Phormium 'Yellow Wave' with P. cookianum 'Tricolor' and was bred by flax hybridiser Mr. F. Jury of Waitara, New Zealand.
This information about Phormium 'Yellow Queen' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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