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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Phormiaceae (~Xanthorrhoeaceae) |
| Origin: New Zealand (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Synonyms: [Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum Compacta'] |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Phormium 'Monrovia Red' (New Zealand Flax) - New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows to 3-4 feet tall with slightly arching 1 1/2" wide leaves of deep maroon-red. We have never noted this cultivar to flower in our gardens. 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. A rich colored deep maroon flax. This is a vegetative sport of 'Dazzler. It is a stable cultivar but like 'Dazzler' is a very slow grower. This plant is the result of an early attempt by Monrovia Nursery to micro propagate (tissue culture) the beautiful variegated Phormium cultivar 'Dazzler'. Although in the process the variegation that was the "dazzle" was lost, the resulting plant is a very nice all red dwarf plant. We named it Phormium 'Monrovia Red' but it was later named Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum Compacta' by Monrovia Nursery. As this latter name is both invalid because of the use of a latinized cultivar name and because the original plant was not a Phormium tenax cultivar we used our original name 'Monrovia Red' to market this plant from 1994 until 2010 when we stopped growing this plant.
This information about Phormium 'Monrovia Red' 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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