Plant in full sun to light shade. Can tolerate fairly dry conditions (coastal) but looks best with occasional to regular irrigation. Cold hardy to 15-20° F and possibly root hardy below these temperatures but with severe foliage damage unless protected.

This cultivar was the result of crossing Phormium 'Yellow Wave' with P. cookianum 'Tricolor' and was bred by flax hybridizer Mr. F. Jury of Waitara, New Zealand. We had problems with our stock of this cultivar losing its apricot coloration as so later branded these plants as 'Yellow Queen' and in 2008 purchased new stock of 'Apricot Queen' from New Zealand. The original 'Apricot Queen' which we received from Margaret Jones's New Zealand Flax Hybridisers Nursery in 1985, was a very good cultivar but proved variable in our garden with some plants in containers for 10 years that never exceeded 2 feet but others in the ground reaching 4 feet or more (all from the same parent stock). We hoped the new stock better behaved and would retain its apricot color, but it was not and we stopped growing this cultivar in 2008. 

The information displayed on this page about Phormium 'Apricot Queen' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.