Bronze Warrior Flax

Bronze Warrior Flax (Phormium tenax 'Bronze Warrior') is what you plant when a position has defeated everything else. Stiff upright blades in bronze purple stand about 1.8m tall and 1.5m across, and the clump takes salt spray, constant wind, frost, drought and damp ground in its stride.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that lasts all winter. The bronze purple blades hold their tone year round, so the bed reads as colour when nothing is flowering.
• An unusual run of tolerances. Frost hardy, salt tolerant, wind tolerant, drought tolerant and comfortable with wet feet once established.
• Architecture without the upkeep. A strong vertical form that needs no clipping, staking or shaping.
• Birds use it. The red summer flower spikes sit above the foliage where honeyeaters can reach them.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 1m apart for a continuous run of upright foliage. At that spacing the fans meet without the clumps pushing into each other.

Coastal gardens and exposed blocks. Salt laden wind that shreds soft leaved shrubs does nothing to a flax, so it suits front line coastal beds and windy rural boundaries.

Pots and feature planting. One clump in a 50cm pot gives height and colour by a door, and a single plant in gravel or lawn ends a bed neatly.

Growing Bronze Warrior Flax in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the deepest bronze; part shade turns the foliage greener and looser. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens, so most of southern and eastern Australia can grow it in the ground, frost included.

Soil. Not fussy at all. It copes with heavy soil that stays damp, which kills most feature plants, and is equally at home in coastal sand. Mulch 75mm deep, clear of the crown.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to settle the roots, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. One application of controlled release fertiliser in early spring is all it asks for.

Pruning. Never shear the top, because cut blades stay blunt. Pull or cut old blades right out at the base, and remove spent flower stems once the seed heads brown off.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, 200mm in a pack of 6, which is the practical unit: six clumps at 1m spacing cover roughly 6m of border. Plants arrive as young fans rather than full clumps and reach their full 1.8m over two to three seasons.

Strappy foliage travels well, though blades are tied in for transit and can look creased for a fortnight. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse grasses and strappy leaf plants
• Compare salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Designing with ornamental grasses

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for mass planting or a border. Closer than that and the outer blades of neighbouring clumps rub and tear in wind.

Will it handle a windy coastal block?

Yes, this is one of its strengths. Salt spray and steady wind do not burn the foliage, which is why flax is used on dune plantings.

Can I plant it in a wet spot?

Once established it tolerates ground that stays damp, so it suits a low corner or the edge of a rain garden. Give it ordinary drainage while it is settling in.

Does it grow well in a pot?

It does. Use a pot of at least 50cm, water through summer and refresh the top of the mix each spring. Expect a smaller clump than in the ground.