Phormium 'Golden Sword'

Phormium 'Golden Sword'

Plant Highlights: Bold golden-striped foliage • Evergreen architectural form • Excellent for containers and modern planting • Year-round colour and structure • Ideal for coastal gardens

Overview

Phormium 'Golden Sword' is a striking evergreen New Zealand flax grown for its upright, sword-shaped foliage. Each leaf features a broad golden-yellow central stripe edged with rich green margins, creating a bold architectural effect that provides year-round colour and structure in the garden.

This versatile evergreen is equally at home in contemporary planting schemes, gravel gardens, coastal gardens and large patio containers. Its strong, upright habit contrasts beautifully with flowering perennials, ornamental grasses and evergreen shrubs, making it a valuable structural plant throughout every season.

Why We Love It

• Bold golden-striped foliage provides year-round colour.
• Strong architectural habit creates an impressive focal point.
• Evergreen form adds structure in every season.
• Performs beautifully in borders and large containers.
• Excellent choice for contemporary and coastal gardens.

Plant Details

Growing Guide

Position

Grow in full sun or partial shade. Full sun produces the strongest foliage colour, while a sheltered position helps protect the leaves from wind damage in exposed gardens.

Watering

Water regularly during the first growing season to establish a strong root system. Once established, plants are relatively drought tolerant but benefit from occasional watering during extended dry periods, particularly when grown in containers.

Soil

Plant in fertile, well-drained soil. Phormium adapts to a range of soil types provided they drain freely and should not be grown in permanently waterlogged ground.

Hardiness and Winter Care

'Golden Sword' is well suited to most Irish gardens when planted in free-draining soil. Remove any snow from the foliage if it accumulates heavily, and protect container-grown plants during prolonged severe frosts where possible.

Routine Care

Remove old, damaged or weathered leaves by cutting them cleanly from the base of the plant. Little routine pruning is required beyond occasional tidying to maintain its attractive architectural shape.

Perfect For

• Architectural planting
• Contemporary gardens
• Coastal gardens
• Patio containers
• Gravel gardens
• Mixed borders

Good to Know

Mature plants may produce tall flower spikes carrying nectar-rich blooms that attract pollinating insects. The dramatic foliage remains the plant's main ornamental feature throughout the year. Any stated pot size or supplied height refers to the plant at the time of sale and not its mature size.

Product Information

• Supplied as an established Phormium 'Golden Sword'
• Evergreen architectural shrub
• Broad golden-yellow central leaf stripes with green margins
• Suitable for borders and large patio containers
• Best grown in full sun or partial shade in fertile, free-draining soil