Silver Streak Dianella

Silver Streak Dianella (Dianella 'Silver Streak') is a compact native flax lily grown for its silver blue strappy foliage rather than its flowers. It forms a neat clump about 60cm tall and 60cm wide, holds that size without cutting back, and takes frost, drought, heat, poor soil and salt wind. Small blue flowers are followed by purple berries, but the foliage is the reason to plant it.

Why you'll love it

• Silver blue foliage that lifts a green garden. The variegated leaves read as a colour break between darker shrubs, all year.
• It stays at 60cm. No annual hard cutback to keep it in scale, which matters once you have planted fifty of them.
• Tough in the ways that count. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil.
• It suits most of the country. Subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens all grow it well.
• Australian native. Birds take the purple berries that follow the small blue flowers.

Where it works best

Mass planting and groundcover. Plant 50cm apart for continuous cover. The clumps knit into a low silver sweep within a season or two and shade out most weeds.

Borders and edging. The same 50cm spacing gives a defined edge along a path or driveway, and because the leaves are fine it does not flop across the paving.

Slopes, retaining walls and rockeries. Fibrous roots hold soil on a batter, and it tolerates the dry, poor ground along the top of a retaining wall.

Growing Silver Streak Dianella in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings out the silver; in shade the foliage greens up and the clump opens out. Frost hardy and heat tolerant, and it grows across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It is not the pick for the wet tropics.

Soil. Poor soil tolerant, so sandy, gravelly and compacted ground all work provided water can drain away. No need to over improve the bed.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first two months, then only in long dry spells. A light native fertiliser in early spring is plenty; heavy feeding gives soft floppy leaves.

Pruning. Nothing routine. Pull dead leaves out by hand each spring. If a clump has gone tired, cut it to about 15cm in early spring, or lift and divide it.

A note on pets. The berries are not considered pet safe, so this is not the plant for a yard where a dog chews on whatever is at ground level.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size: 140mm pots in packs of ten, the standard landscape size for mass planting. Ten plants at 50cm spacing run about four and a half metres of edging, or cover roughly two and a half square metres of bed.

Clumping plants like this travel well, and creased leaves after transit are cosmetic. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect roots into the surrounding soil within two to three weeks, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the varieties in our dianella care guide.
• For a different look on a clump of much the same size, see Cherry Red Dianella.
• Browse other grasses and strappy plants for landscaping.
• Work out quantities with our plants for mass planting.

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 50cm spacing, four plants to the square metre. A pack of ten covers about two and a half square metres, or four and a half metres of edging.

Is it safe for dogs and cats?

The berries are not considered pet safe, so avoid it in a yard where pets chew on plants. The foliage is not the concern; the fruit is.

Will it keep its silver colour in shade?

Not fully. The tone is strongest in full sun; in shade the leaves turn greener and the clump grows looser.