dwarf flax
Dwarf flax is a popular and versatile choice for New Zealand gardens, loved for its compact form and striking foliage. Ideal for urban landscapes, containers, or as lush ground cover, dwarf flax varieties deliver bold colour, low-maintenance growth, and year-round interest. Whether you're refreshing a rockery, edging a pathway, or adding texture to mixed borders, incorporating dwarf flax into your planting scheme brings style and structure with minimal fuss. Read on to discover the best dwarf flax varieties, their unique features, and helpful advice for growing these native gems.
Phormium 'Green Dwarf'
Phormium 'Green Dwarf', also known as Dwarf Green Flax, is a compact, tidy New Zealand flax cultivar with lush, bright green, strap-like leaves. It forms a clump around 40–60 cm tall and wide, making it perfect for edging, borders, pots, or mass planting. Hardy and low-maintenance, it thrives in full sun to part shade and tolerates wind, coastal exposure, and dry conditions once established. Its neat form and vibrant colour suit both modern and native-style landscapes.
From $8.50
Phormium 'Emerald Gem'
Phormium 'Emerald Gem' is a dwarf variety of Mountain Flax or Wharariki. It produces emerald-green leaves and grows to 60 cm tall and 70 cm wide in full sun on a well-drained site. This dwarf flax is often added to mixed plantings and borders, used in coastal gardens, planted to accentuate water features such as ponds and streams, or grown around pool and barbecue areas.
From $9.95
