Tasred™ Dianella

Tasred Dianella (Dianella tasmanica 'TR20') is a wide leafed flax lily that colours red at the base in cold weather, on a dense, tidy clump about 450mm high and 400 to 500mm wide. Ozbreed selected it as a tough, reliable alternative to phormium for mass planting, and it earns the comparison: it grows in full sun or heavy shade, takes frost and heat, and holds slopes with a root system that increased soil strength by 215 per cent in a 2007 study. Large purple berries follow the spring flowers.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that changes with the season. In cold climates the leaf bases flush red and the clump takes on reddish tinges, then greens again, so a mass planting never looks static.
• Wide, tidy leaves. The broad strappy foliage holds a dense, neat shape, closer in effect to a dwarf flax than to a grass.
• Sun or heavy shade. It performs from an open bed to the dark side of a building, which few strappy plants manage.
• Frost and heat tolerant. Cold tableland winters and hot inland summers are both within its range.
• Roots that hold slopes. Its root mass strengthened soil by 215 per cent in the 2007 study, which is why it is planted on batters and above walls.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 45cm apart in offset rows (four to six a square metre). The clumps meet in about two seasons and shade out weeds beneath.

Low water gardens and slopes. On a dry bank or above a retaining wall the same 45cm grid binds the soil, and established plants need little water.

Japanese style and accent planting. The broad upright leaves suit gravel, stone and moss gardens; a single clump beside a boulder reads as deliberate.

Shade. Under trees and along the south side of a house it keeps its density where sun loving tussocks thin out.

Growing Tasred Dianella in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to heavy shade in the south. From Sydney north it is for shaded positions only, apart from cool elevated climates like the Blue Mountains, and in Queensland Ozbreed lists it only for non humid regions such as Toowoomba on free draining soil. That makes it a plant for warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens rather than the humid subtropics.

Soil. Sandy, sandy loam and clay soils all suit it. Avoid very poor soils. Plant with the crown at or above the soil and mulch line and use a chunky mulch.

Water and feed. Water as required for the first 8 to 13 weeks, then only in extended dry spells. A slow release fertiliser in spring is optional.

Pruning. Trim older leaves as they brown. Every three to seven years cut the clump back by half in late winter to bring on fresh growth; every three years keeps it looking its best.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Tasred Dianella in 140mm pots in packs of 10 and in 200mm pots in packs of 6. The 140mm plants are the economical choice for a mass planting and fill out over two seasons; the 200mm plants give an established look from the first year. Dianellas travel well, with tough leaves that take the trip, and establish quickly in autumn or spring.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full dianella range
• See the full Ozbreed range
• More plants for mass planting
• Our dianella care guide

Common questions

Why has my plant gone red?

That is the cultivar doing what it was selected for. Cold weather flushes the leaf bases red and tints the foliage; it greens again as the weather warms.

Will it grow in Queensland?

Only in the drier, elevated areas such as Toowoomba with free draining soil. Ozbreed does not list it for the humid coastal belt.

Are the berries safe to eat?

Treat them as ornamental. We do not recommend eating them, and plant it away from where small children or pets graze.