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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 about Phormium tenax 'Merlot' PP14,228 displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources we consider reliable. We will also relate those observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and in other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has additional information, particularly when they share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.     [MORE INFO]