Web Site Search Plant Database Search by Plant Name   General Plant Info Search for any word   Advanced Search >> Search by size, origins, color, cultural needs, etc. Site Map Retail Locator Plant Listings PLANT TYPE PLANT GEOGRAPHY PLANT INDEX ALL PLANT LIST PLANT IMAGE INDEX PLANT INTROS SPECIALTY CROPS NEW  2020 PLANTS PRIME LIST>   for AUGUST  Weather Station

Products > Phormium tenax 'Merlot' PP14,228   Phormium tenax 'Merlot' PP14,228 - PP14,228 Note: This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.     Habit and Cultural Information Category: Perennial Family: Phormiaceae (~Xanthorrhoeaceae) Origin: New Zealand (Australasia) Red/Purple Foliage: Yes Flower Color: Red Bloomtime: Infrequent Height: 4-6 feet Width: 3-5 feet Exposure: Sun or Shade Seaside: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F Phormium tenax 'Merlot' PP14,228 (PP14,228) - Upright growing flax to nearly 6 feet tall with 2 1/2 inch wide leaves with dark gray-purple upper leaf surfaces and silvery-gray lower leaf surfaces. The upper surface has distinct black leaf margins and midrib. 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. This plant was a selected mutation of the Phormium tenax 'Burgundy' made in 1999 by Lyndale Nurseries in Auckland, New Zealand. Some sources list this discovery to have been made by Noelyn Parr but the patent inventor designation is Malcolm Woolmore. It is being marketed in the United States by Bodger Seeds.  The information on this page is based on our research conducted in our nursery library, from online sources, as well as from observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery containers, in the nursery's garden and in other gardens where we have observed it. We will also incorporate comments received from others and welcome getting feedback of any kind from those who have additional information, particularly if this information is contrary to what we have written or includes additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing  Phormium tenax 'Merlot'.     [MORE INFO]