One of the great ways to use a dark foliaged, moody looking New Zealand flax (Phormium) is as a contrast to red and chocolate flowers and dark red and bronze foliage. Summer flowering perennials are a great source of bold red flower colour. Look for Dahlias, such as the sensational new ‘Scarlet Fern’, bred here in New Zealand by Dr Keith Hammett, or the old favourite ‘Bishop of Llangdaff’. Both have deep red, single flowers and bloom for months on end and look amazing with ‘Black Rage’. Add fiery flowered Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, dusky, appropriately named, Cosmos ‘Hot Chocolate’, scarlet daylilies and alstroemerias and dark red roses, plus ground covering, dark foliaged Heucheras, and you have a powerful colour scheme.
Phormium ‘Black Rage’ can also be the focal point of a border based around foliage plants. It could rise out of a mass of low growing black mondo grass, Ophiopogon ‘Black Dragon’, or be the contrast to silvery foliage plants such as Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’ or ground covering Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. In mild climate gardens, it looks amazing surrounded by bold succulents such as Echeveria ‘Blue Curl’.
The dark foliage of ‘Black Rage’ also contrasts well with yellow foliage plants such as the fine leafed, dense growing, evergreen grass Acorus ‘Ogon’. This looks stunning when mass planted. Also bound to delight the eye is planting it with a group of Yucca ‘Garland’s Gold’. For a low maintenance planting, grow a group of ‘Black Rage’ and surround it with the sunny yellow foliage of low growing Coleonema ‘Sunset Gold’.
For a natives theme, combine ‘Black Rage’ with compact growing natives with distinctive foliage and form such as Cassinia ‘Greenhills’, Pimelea prostrata, Myrtus ‘Black Beauty’ and Muehlenbeckia astonii.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants