Phormium

by Sharon Stanford

Has your Phormium grown too large? Was it flattened in the recent snowstorms? Ready to rip it out? Wait! There is hope...

The design of our nearly one acre garden uses Phormiums as a repeating theme to provide continuity to our plant collection. When we established the garden in 2000, we planted seven of the variety 'Purpurea'. They were purchased when they were small, in gallon containers, and sited with "plenty" of room to grow. At least we thought it was plenty. However, in the moderate climate of our garden overlooking Puget Sound, the Phormiums grew beyond our wildest expectations. Within a few years, they made attractive anchors to the garden. After seven years we were beginning to wonder if they were on a quest to conquer the world.

February 16, 2008

What do we do?

We considered outright removal. What stopped us was that we really liked the Phormiums, if only they weren't SO big. However, one in particular, was crowding several choice dwarf conifers. Once we decided that we had to save the conifers, cutting back the Phormium didn't seem like such a risk. In fact, it became a natural first step.

At this point, I should mention that we've tried other approaches to the Phormium dilemma. The first one to outgrow its space was moved in a wheel barrow in 2002. When we moved the second one in 2004, we put it on a tarp and hooked with a rope to the back of our F-150 pick-up truck. The ropes broke when trying to move the third one in 2006, so we purchased a tow strap from the auto supply store (the type designed to tow a car). Therefore, trust me when I say, this one was too large to remove whole, so eventually would need to be cut apart anyway. What did we have to lose? If it grew back into an attractive smaller plant, that would be great. If it died, it would be easier to remove the base, if the leaves were already gone.

a few hours later

It was a dramatic change to the garden, in just a few hours. For the first time in years, the six foot tall Pinus strobus "Louie" (yellow needled pine in center of photo) is visible from this angle. Also now visible is a Pinus parviflora "Koru" to the left of the Phormium stump. No, it's not supposed to be growing horizontal. The Phormium just didn't give it anywhere else to go.

How did you do it?

I'm lucky that my husband and co-gardener, Ed, is a master of power tools. Due to the close proximity to the rocks, he chose a reciprocating saw for our test subject.  More recently, when not constrained by rocks, Ed has chosen a chain saw as the preferred weapon. He recommends a sharp chain, rev it up high, and dig in.

July, 2008

Did it come back? How long did it take?

There was little sign of change until the weather started to warm in the spring, but by July, we once again had an attractive plant. As an added bonus, the fresh leaves were a much nicer color.  Also, this Phormium is the only one that came through the December, 2008 snow with all the leaves upright. The others were mostly flat with pathetic Mohawk’s.

Was it a lot of work?

Without a doubt, YES!  Phormium leaves are very fibrous and retain a great deal of water, so they are hard to cut and very heavy to carry off. Lacking space to compost all of our yard waste on-site, we take some of it to the composting facility at our area transfer station. That's where this Phormium went. There they weigh the truck on the way in and again on the way out and charge you for the amount of material disposed of. Thurston County certifies that the Phormium in the photo weighed 860 pounds - nearly half a TON.

Can I come see what you have done?

Yes. Look for us in the Open Garden Directory coming in April and plan a trip to Olympia to see us this summer. Besides the Phormiums, our collection includes about 150 varieties of conifers (mostly dwarf), about 40 varieties of Ornamental grasses, and dozens and dozens of Perennials.

- NPA members Sharon & Ed Stanford garden near Olympia, Washington. Their garden was recently featured in an article titled "Autumn Artistry" in Garden, Deck, and Landscaping Magazine from Better Homes and Gardens; has been featured in the Conifer Quarterly, the magazine of the American Conifer Society; and is open each year for the NPA Open Gardens program.

 

Touring NPA members’ gardens is the perfect way to learn about taking care of plants like Phormiums and solving gardening dilemmas.  If you have stories to share, we’d love for you to open your garden!   If you’re not yet a member, joining NPA is the best way to learn about gardening through our Open Gardens program.  You could be touring fabulous gardens like this all spring and summer!  For membership information click here.