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 is the slowest and darkest of all the New Zealand Flax we have ever grown - darker and smaller than 'Platt's Black' and Black Adder.

Phormium 'Electric Black Light' was introduced in 2004 by Mal Morgan of NuFlora International in Macquarie Fields New South Wales, Australia. It was the result of crossing two unnamed Phormium tenax plants in 2002 as part of a breeding program intended to create new Phormium varieties that were compact and had interesting colors. This plant received U.S. Plant Patent 21,462 on November 9, 2010. The patent application noted that this plant was characterized by dense compact growth habit, overall short plant height and extremely dark foliage color that has a waxy texture to the top surface of the foliage. We first received this plant from Bodger Botanicals in 2009 but unfortunately this plant was incredibly slow growing and in the end we decided not to continue with it and sold the last plants in 2013. 

The information displayed on this page about Phormium 'Electric Black Light' PP21,462 is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.