Which Dianella is Best For You?
Posted:
June 30, 2020
Categories:
Which Plants
Do You Dig Our Dianellas?
Dianellas – our native flax lilies – are an excellent addition to all kinds of gardens, from native bush paddocks to schmick urban back yards. Large-size native flax lily plants are ideal for container planting, or as a feature plant in a border, especially the more ornamental forms with striped or coloured leaves. Because flax lily plants are compact, they also make excellent edging for borders, driveways, paths and lawns, where they will need very little care and maintenance.
Some flax lilies are happiest growing in shade – alongside a house wall, under a tree – while others perform best in full sun, often in difficult locations where other plants might struggle. On the whole Dianellas are supremely easygoing and very tolerant of all kinds of conditions.
Dianellas look impressive in mass plantings, especially when in full flower; use them solo, or mix them in with complementary plants like liriopes, lomandras, and mondo grass. As low-maintenance ground cover , beneath seasonally flowering shrubs, they help cool the soil and keep weeds at bay.
Their evergreen foliage makes an impressive elegant shape, rounded and self-contained. The long strappy leaves often form a natural fountain, emerging from a central point in a soft cascade. The leaf colour can be vivid bright green, soft blue-green, white striped, or purple-grey, depending on the variety.
In spring and summer, Dianellas develop long slim flowerstems, which carry spires of tiny star-shaped blooms in shades of purple, lavender and blue, which hang suspended on slender stems. The slightest breeze sets them gently bobbing and swaying. These stems can be trimmed off after flowering to keep the plant tidy, and encourage more growth in the leaves; but it's not essential.
If the flowering stems are left on the plant, they develop into clusters of unmistakable bright blue-purple glossy berries, adding welcome colour to an autumn garden. Several species are reportedly edible as bushtucker (not D. tasmanica) and all are fantastic for flower arranging too.
Which Dianella Is For You?
- D. caerulea Little Jess™ : 20cm. Very tiny and dainty, broad leaves, tiny purple flowers, very drought tolerant and frost tolerant.
- D. revoluta Petite Marie PBR : 30cm. Bright blue flowers, bushy, small, and mat forming
- D. caerulea Emerald Fountain : 40cm. Brighter leaf colour, deeper purple flowers, frost tolerant, longlived. Our most popular flax lily
- D. brevipedunculata : 50cm. Lime-apple leaves with dark margins along stems, compact dark purple-yellow flowerspikes nestle inside
- D. tasmanica Silver Streak : 50cm. Variegated white margins on the leaves, great mass planted. Prefers a moister soil than others to keep looking good
- D. prunina Utopia™ : 50cm. Broader leaves with a slight twisting movement, beautiful blue-purple steely colour
- D. tasmanica Cherry Red PBR: 75cm. Wide arching dark bottle green leaves, larger size flax lily all around, with bright red stem bases. More tolerant of wet and humidity than other Dianellas How many Dianellas could you make room for, in your garden?
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