David in Normandy wrote:
Adrian wrote:
David in Normandy wrote:
Adrian wrote:
David in Normandy wrote:
renedrag wrote:
Hi,I'm dividing various very large phormiums to reduce there size.If
anybody would like plants(free) from the division as we will only
throw
them away PM me for further details.It would be collect only from
Sherborne,Dorset area.
Regards
renedrag





I've divided a few in my time. Not easy are they? I like to see
them big and majestic, it depends on how much space you have in the
garden though. They can be propagated via the seeds too quite easily.

That's interesting - about the seeds

Phormium seems to be one of the things that grow well around here
(South-West of Ireland) - and don't seem to mind the winds or the
salt-spray.

We thought of buying some pot-grown plants - and then thought about
seeds....

Any idea how fast-growing they are - how old would your typical
12"-high potted garden centre phormium be ??

(Want fairly fast results in the garden - but also careful of the
pennies / cents ! g)

Adrian

The seeds germinate quite well, but have a tendency to be vulnerable
as seedlings for the first year. The first time I planted the seeds,
15 years ago in sandy compost I got around 100 seedlings but all
damped off apart from two. They are both monster sized now. Last year
I took some seeds off one of those survivors and brought them to
France and have around 20 seedlings. Not sure how many will survive
Winter as I've left them outside in pots. I'd guess that the smallish
phormiums from garden centres are 2 or 3 years old.

Thanks David - that's very interesting....
I might invest a couple of euro in a packet of phormium seeds -
we're still at the stage of discovering what likes our peculiar mix
of very soggy weather combined with the occasional salt-laden gale -
and I've seen some enormous phormiums (?? phormia ?? g) around here...

Grand - thanks!
Adrian

I don't know if you can buy phormium seeds, I've never noticed them in
garden centres. However, if you see some plants nearby I'm sure you
could "gather" a few seeds if they are in a public place.

Gather some when the pods have burst and there are nice shiny black
seeds. Some pods don't burst fully and the seeds inside can still be
viable after some considerable time.

HI David

T&M do them - http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds...ct/2073/1.html
Phormium Rainbow Mix - height 5 to 8ft (!!) - Prefers a deep moist il.
(the _moist_ bit isn't a problem here!)

Says to plant out in the 2nd year - worth a try for 30 seeds for £3.50 -
single plants seem to be about £10 - £15 each...

Alternatively, if it ever stops raining long enough, I'll take a casual
walk along by some plants and see what drops off....

Thanks
Adrian