Plant Library

Other Names:  Tasmanian Flax Lily

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

Unique foliage with a red base that is more intense in colder months; blue flowers on red stems appear in mid spring, followed by attractive dark blue berries; best in light shade, but will tolerate coastal full sun; water regularly

Ornamental Features

Tasred™ Flax Lily features delicate spikes of blue star-shaped flowers rising above the foliage in mid spring. Its attractive sword-like leaves emerge red in spring, turning bluish-green in color with showy red variegation the rest of the year. It features an abundance of magnificent royal blue berries in early summer. The red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Tasred™ Flax Lily is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tasred™ Flax Lily is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Tasred™ Flax Lily will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Tasred™ Flax Lily is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.