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#1
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Cutting a Phormium?
I have a plant in my garden which from searching pictures on the web looks
to be what might be a phormium(?). It has large pointed thick leaves coming out of the ground it appears to grow outwards ie growing from the middle. The leaves are now 8 feet tall and the leaves are splitting and have flopped over. It never flowers, it only has these leaves, which is contrary to what i have read about Phormiums so i am assuming there are some types that don't flower It looks a little like this pictu http://www.aujardin.info/img/img5/phormium.jpg My question is does anyone know if i can safely cut each leaf down to about 4 foot high? TIA |
#2
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Cutting a Phormium?
I have a plant in my garden which from searching pictures on the web looks
to be what might be a phormium(?). It has large pointed thick leaves coming out of the ground it appears to grow outwards ie growing from the middle. The leaves are now 8 feet tall and the leaves are splitting and have flopped over. It never flowers, it only has these leaves, which is contrary to what i have read about Phormiums so i am assuming there are some types that don't flower It looks a little like this pictu http://www.aujardin.info/img/img5/phormium.jpg My question is does anyone know if i can safely cut each leaf down to about 4 foot high? I've trimmed bedraggled looking leaves on mine without problem - cutting down the lot may make the plant look butchered though. Phormiums do tend to get bigger quicker than expected. I dug mine out over Winter and moved it to the far side of the garden where it can't cast a shadow on other plants. It was a pain to dig out and move though - it took several hours and a lot of hard work dragging the plant along. -- Drakanthus. (Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails will never reach me.) |
#3
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 17:02:11 -0000, Mike wrote:
I have a plant in my garden which from searching pictures on the web looks to be what might be a phormium(?). It has large pointed thick leaves coming out of the ground it appears to grow outwards ie growing from the middle. The leaves are now 8 feet tall and the leaves are splitting and have flopped over. It never flowers, it only has these leaves, which is contrary to what i have read about Phormiums so i am assuming there are some types that don't flower It looks a little like this pictu http://www.aujardin.info/img/img5/phormium.jpg My question is does anyone know if i can safely cut each leaf down to about 4 foot high? TIA We have a green variety in a sunny front garden, we cut it to the ground anually and it regrows to about 6 feet each year, seemingly no ill effects, although no flowers this last few years... -- \\(º`¿´º)// |
#4
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 00:26:21 +0000, bigjon wrotc:
We have a green variety in a sunny front garden, we cut it to the ground anually and it regrows to about 6 feet each year, seemingly no ill effects, although no flowers this last few years... -- \\(º`¿´º)// Interesting plant, the P. tenax. It has edible uses: The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[153, 173]. An edible nectar is obtained from the flowers[173]. Very wholesome eating[183]. A long hollow grass-stalk or straw is used to suck it out of the flowers[183]. An edible gum is obtained from the base of the leaves[173]. and other uses: A very high quality pliable fibre is obtained from the leaves[11, 57, 61, 128, 153]. It is used in the manufacture of ropes (they are not very strong[46]), twine, fine cloth etc. The fibre can also be used for making paper[189] The leaves are harvested in summer, they are scraped to remove the outer skin and are then soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 24 hours with lye and then beaten in a ball mill for 4 hours. They make a cream paper[189]. The split leaves can be used to make nets, cloaks, sandals, straps etc[153]. They are also used in making paper and basket making[153, 169]. A strip of a leaf is an excellent emergency string substitute for tying up plants in the garden, it can be tied into a knot without breaking[128]. The leaf pulp, after the fibre has been removed, can be fermented to make alcohol[153]. A gum found in the leaves is used as a paper glue[173]. A brown dye is obtained from the flowers[168], it does not require a mordant[169]. A terra-cotta dye is obtained from the seedpods[168]. A mauve can also be obtained[168]. The flowers are rich in tannin[168]. I am relieved that I can cut it right down in view of the fact that it is reported here to get so huge that it takes a day to move it. I am happy with mine at its present size but unfortunately it has not yet flowered so I won't be performing drastic surgery just yet. Hussein Grow a little garden |
#5
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 00:26:21 +0000, bigjon wrotc:
We have a green variety in a sunny front garden, we cut it to the ground anually and it regrows to about 6 feet each year, seemingly no ill effects, although no flowers this last few years... -- \\(º`¿´º)// Interesting plant, the P. tenax. It has edible uses: The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[153, 173]. An edible nectar is obtained from the flowers[173]. Very wholesome eating[183]. A long hollow grass-stalk or straw is used to suck it out of the flowers[183]. An edible gum is obtained from the base of the leaves[173]. and other uses: A very high quality pliable fibre is obtained from the leaves[11, 57, 61, 128, 153]. It is used in the manufacture of ropes (they are not very strong[46]), twine, fine cloth etc. The fibre can also be used for making paper[189] The leaves are harvested in summer, they are scraped to remove the outer skin and are then soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 24 hours with lye and then beaten in a ball mill for 4 hours. They make a cream paper[189]. The split leaves can be used to make nets, cloaks, sandals, straps etc[153]. They are also used in making paper and basket making[153, 169]. A strip of a leaf is an excellent emergency string substitute for tying up plants in the garden, it can be tied into a knot without breaking[128]. The leaf pulp, after the fibre has been removed, can be fermented to make alcohol[153]. A gum found in the leaves is used as a paper glue[173]. A brown dye is obtained from the flowers[168], it does not require a mordant[169]. A terra-cotta dye is obtained from the seedpods[168]. A mauve can also be obtained[168]. The flowers are rich in tannin[168]. I am relieved that I can cut it right down in view of the fact that it is reported here to get so huge that it takes a day to move it. I am happy with mine at its present size but unfortunately it has not yet flowered so I won't be performing drastic surgery just yet. Hussein Grow a little garden |
#6
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Cutting a Phormium?
I am relieved that I can cut it right down in view of the fact that
it is reported here to get so huge that it takes a day to move it. I am happy with mine at its present size but unfortunately it has not yet flowered so I won't be performing drastic surgery just yet. Hussein I have two. One, with a bronze leaf, flowers every year - huge flower spikes with tiny flowers containing bright orange stamens. The other (a green leaved one) has yet to flower. I grew both from seed ten years ago. The bronze one is certainly a very striking structural plant. Even now, with the flower stems dead and dried over Winter, I've still left them on the plant - they add a certain charm to it. It always produces lots of little black seeds - after reading your information I'm tempted to have a go at making some coffee substitute next time! -- Drakanthus. (Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails will never reach me.) |
#7
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Fri, 21 Mar 2003 09:28:42 -0000, "Drakanthus"
wrotc: I have two. One, with a bronze leaf, flowers every year - huge flower spikes with tiny flowers containing bright orange stamens. The other (a green leaved one) has yet to flower. I grew both from seed ten years ago. Very game of you! Mine's purpureum (I think). The common one anyway (I hate it when my plants appear on gardening programmes). Maybe it will do it's thing this year. I hope so because it sounds rather wonderful. Close by there is a Crambe (cordifolia) and I think this is the year it will do it's thing and surprise all the passengers who look at the garden from the bus on the way to work. Love it. I remember when I was a lickle boy and my parents lived in the Far E., my Mother used to grow orchids and there was one which did it's thing just for one night of the year. I never saw it as I was, on such auspicious occasions, sitting at a boarding school desk in the U.K. Hussein Grow a little garden |
#8
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Cutting a Phormium?
"Mike" wrote in the following message I have a plant in my garden which from searching pictures on the web looks to be what might be a phormium(?). It has large pointed thick leaves coming out of the ground it appears to grow outwards ie growing from the middle. The leaves are now 8 feet tall and the leaves are splitting and have flopped over. It never flowers, it only has these leaves, which is contrary to what i have read about Phormiums so i am assuming there are some types that don't flower This is the plant that prompted a minor domestic dispute in my household. I think that it is wonderful. My wife has a different view of it and wanted to remove it completely. An agreement was made to reduce it's size. So better half attacked it with a bread knife(!) - removing much of the outer growth. Poor little thing must have thought that it was going to die and so put out flowers which must have got to 12ft. If this goes, so do I ;-) Regards David Berry |
#9
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:37:03 GMT, "David Berry"
wrotc: This is the plant that prompted a minor domestic dispute in my household. I think that it is wonderful. My wife has a different view of it and wanted to remove it completely. An agreement was made to reduce it's size. So better half attacked it with a bread knife(!) - removing much of the outer growth. Poor little thing must have thought that it was going to die and so put out flowers which must have got to 12ft. If this goes, so do I ;-) I'm curious what time of year your P. was attacked by a bread knife and, if this was early in the year, it flowered in the same. It's just that Mike in an earlier message said he cut his down to the ground every year and it never flowers. Huss (I had better go and reassure Strapper tomorrow morning with a caress, certainly not a slash, in case he is misreading the airwaves). Grow a little garden |
#10
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Cutting a Phormium?
"Hussein M." wrote in message ... On Sat, 22 Mar 2003 07:37:03 GMT, "David Berry" wrotc: This is the plant that prompted a minor domestic dispute in my household. I think that it is wonderful. My wife has a different view of it and wanted to remove it completely. An agreement was made to reduce it's size. So better half attacked it with a bread knife(!) - removing much of the outer growth. Poor little thing must have thought that it was going to die and so put out flowers which must have got to 12ft. If this goes, so do I ;-) I'm curious what time of year your P. was attacked by a bread knife and, if this was early in the year, it flowered in the same. It's just that Mike in an earlier message said he cut his down to the ground every year and it never flowers. Huss (I had better go and reassure Strapper tomorrow morning with a caress, certainly not a slash, in case he is misreading the airwaves). Grow a little garden Amazingly, just after posting my response, I caught my wife with a slightly smaller, serrated knife attacking said plant (possibly the bread knife was being used elsewhere!). So the answer to your question about the best time of year to cut this back must be the 22/3/03. My wife has the greenest fingers I know and does these things instinctively - without resorting to books - so this must be right. As a side issue she is also gloating about finding (and killing) more than 40 snails hiding away in the recesses of the plant. Regards David Berry |
#11
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Cutting a Phormium?
On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 17:24:31 GMT, "David Berry"
wrotc: So the answer to your question about the best time of year to cut this back must be the 22/3/03. My wife has the greenest fingers I know and does these things instinctively - without resorting to books - so this must be right. Oh no, I can't. The leaves are so glossy and healthy. Mind you its a relatively young plant bought about two years ago and, when someone described 8 ft leaves on theirs, I suppose Strappers are around 4 - 5. The nearby Crambe will probably do its thing this year and will be shagged out the year after, especially since one has distinctly turned into two. Strange that - you would have thought it would have flowered before that. So - I think Strapper's safe for now. Huss Grow a little garden |
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