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Phormium Sundowner

flax lily 'Sundowner'

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£24.99

Size:

5 Litre pot

Code: 1763

Availability: 6 item(s)

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At a Glance

Variety: Phormium
Size: 5 Litre pot
Mature Height (?):

What does this mean?

Mature Height

You can expect the height to reach somewhere within this estimate. It is given as a guide but can vary dependant on several factors such as soil quality and position.

For Conifers and Trees this may be the height in 10-20 years, eventually the plant may exceed this height.

2.0m
Mature Spread (?):

What does this mean?

Mature Spread

You can expect the plant to spread somewhere within this range estimate. It is given as a guide but can vary dependant on several factors such as soil quality and position.

For Conifers and Trees this may be the spread in 10-20 years, eventually the plant may exceed this.

2.0m
Flower Colour (?):

What does this mean?

Flower Colour

Flowers come in a vast variety of colours from pure white to almost black. Colour can be affected by a number of factors including environment and diet. Use the photographs as a guide and expect variations.

Green, Yellow
Flowering Time (?):

What does this mean?

Flowering Time

A plants development is synchronised with the changing seasons and flowering is one of several changes that occur at the appropriate time of year dependent on the specific plant. While our meteorological seasons are defined by specific dates; there can be two or the weeks difference in the start and end of the horticultural 'season' between the north and south of the UK.

Spring - Summer
Foliage (?):

What does this mean?

Evergreen

Plants that have leaves all year round are classified as evergreen. They can however lose leaves sporadically throughout the year.

Deciduous

Deciduous plants drop their leaves in autumn, look bare in winter and put out new leaves again in spring. Some plants such a Beech retain their dead leaves until the new spring growth.

Semi-evergreen

There are exceptions, some plant drop their leaves in cold winters but keep them if it is mild. These are classified as Semi-evergreen.

Evergreen
Fragrant (?):

What does this mean?
Fragrant
For plants that are fragrant the level of fragrance may vary, results may improve by planting in larger blocks. The fragrance may come from flowers or foliage.

Yes
Growth Rate (?):

What does this mean?

Growth rate of a plant will determine how fast the plant reaches it ultimate height and is affected by four main factors: temperature, nutrients, light, and water.

Average
Hardiness (?):

What does this mean?

Fully Hardy

Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (to -15)

Half Hardy

Hardy throughout most of the UK (to -10)

Frost Hardy

Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of UK (to -5)

Fully Hardy
Position (?):

What does this mean?

Full Sun

Six or more full hours of direct sunlight but don't forget to water.

Partial Shade

Two or three hours either in early morning or late evening sun. Very limited exposure to midday sun.

Dense Shade

Usually no more than two hours direct sunlight. Usually under dense trees, shurbs or in shade cast by buildings/fences etc.

partial sun, Full sun
Soil Moisture (?):

What does this mean?

Well Drained

Well-drained soil allows water to percolate through reasonably quickly without pooling. Well drained soil can often be dry and lack nutrients.

Poorly Drained

Poorly Drained soil is usually saturated periodically during the growing season and remains wet for several days at a time. Saturated soil can deprive roots of oxygen.

Moist Well Drained

A moist well drained soil is the best of both worlds by combining high permeability with the ability to retain moisture. Adding well rotted organic matter to dry or wet soil will help improve both these characteristics.

Well-drained
Soil PH (?):

What does this mean?

Acid

Soil with a pH between 1 and 7 is classed as acid, ericaceous plants such as Rhododendrons need acid soil.

Neutral

A neutral pH which is around 7, will be suitable for most plants. Clay soils tend to be neutral.

Alkaline

Soil with a pH between 7 and 14 are refereed to as Alkaline. Chalky soil is usually Alkaline.

Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type (?):

What does this mean?

Chalk

Chalky or lime-rich soils may be light or heavy, largely made up of calcium carbonate and are very alkaline.

Clay

Clay soils are potentially fertile and hold a high proportion of water. They drain slowly and take longer to warm up in spring.

Loam

Loam soils are s mixture of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes of clay or sandy soils. Fertile, well-drained and easily worked.

Sand

Sandy soils have a low clay content, drain quickly, easy to cultivate and work. They can dry out quickly and are low in plant nutrients. Often very acidic.

Sand

Phormium Sundowner (Sundowner New Zealand Flax)

Hardy Architectural Perennial with Spectacular Bronze-Pink Striped Foliage

Create stunning garden drama with Phormium Sundowner, a breathtaking evergreen perennial that delivers exceptional year-round colour through its magnificent sword-like foliage adorned with striking bronze-pink stripes. This remarkable New Zealand native combines architectural presence with spectacular colour variations, featuring deep bronze-green leaves dramatically edged and striped with vibrant pink to coral tones that intensify in sunlight, making it one of the most eye-catching structural plants available for contemporary garden design.

Key Features

Plant Type: Hardy evergreen perennial
Height: 2m
Spread: 2m
Flowering Period: July
Flower Colour: Deep red to bronze tubular flowers on tall spikes
Foliage: Sword-like leaves in bronze-green with striking pink to coral margins and stripes
Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -5 to 1 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H3)
Growth Habit: Upright, clump-forming, architectural

Spectacular Variegated Foliage

The outstanding feature of Phormium Sundowner lies in its extraordinary foliage display that combines multiple colours in a single leaf. Each sword-like leaf reaches 60-80cm in length, featuring a rich bronze-green centre dramatically bordered with vibrant pink to coral-red margins that create stunning contrast. The colour intensity varies with light conditions and seasons, with the pink tones becoming particularly vivid in bright sunlight and during cooler months, creating a constantly changing display of warm, sunset-inspired hues.

Exceptional Colour Variations

The unique colouration of Sundowner sets it apart from other architectural plants, with each leaf displaying subtle variations in the pink striping that creates depth and visual interest. The bronze-green base colour provides sophisticated contrast to the bright margins, whilst the overall effect creates a warm, glowing appearance that complements both contemporary and traditional garden schemes. The colour intensity can vary from soft coral-pink to deep rose-red depending on growing conditions and seasonal changes.

Architectural Garden Presence

This robust perennial provides outstanding structural value in garden design, with its bold upright habit creating instant focal points that anchor planting schemes effectively. The distinctive striped foliage maintains its form in all weather conditions, delivering reliable year-round interest that serves as both structure and colour element. The fountain-like growth pattern makes it particularly valuable for creating dramatic silhouettes and adding vertical emphasis to border plantings.

Seasonal Flowering Display

During summer months, mature plants may produce spectacular tall flower spikes that rise 2-3m above the foliage, bearing clusters of tubular flowers in deep red to bronze tones. These architectural flower stems complement the already impressive foliage display, creating additional vertical accents that enhance the plant's dramatic presence and provide extra seasonal interest.

Versatile Design Applications

The striking appearance of Phormium Sundowner makes it suitable for numerous garden applications, from modern minimalist designs to exotic-themed plantings. Its bold form and spectacular colouration work particularly well as specimen plants in prominent positions where the dramatic foliage can be fully appreciated and admired from multiple viewpoints.

Growing Requirements

Soil and Position: Thrives in well-drained soil conditions and prefers full sun to partial shade positions. Adaptable to various soil types including sandy, loamy, and clay soils, provided drainage is adequate. Tolerates coastal conditions and urban pollution, making it suitable for city gardens and seaside locations.
Light Requirements: Performs best in full sun where the pink colouration develops most intensely and dramatically. Tolerates partial shade conditions though colour intensity may be reduced. Maximum colour development occurs in bright, sunny positions with good air circulation.
Soil Preferences: Requires well-drained conditions and cannot tolerate waterlogged soil, particularly during winter months. Performs excellently in slightly alkaline to neutral soil conditions and benefits from the addition of grit or sand to heavy clay soils to improve drainage.

Care and Maintenance

Pruning Requirements: Minimal pruning required beyond removing damaged or dead leaves at the base using clean, sharp tools. Cut back old flower stems after flowering to maintain tidy appearance. In colder regions, leaves may be tied together loosely in winter to protect the growing point from frost damage.
Watering Requirements: Drought tolerant once established, though benefits from regular watering during dry periods in the first growing season. Avoid overwatering, particularly in winter, as this can lead to root rot in poorly drained conditions.
Fertilising Programme: Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring to support healthy growth and enhance foliage colour intensity. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers which may encourage soft growth susceptible to frost damage and can reduce colour intensity.

Design Applications

Specimen Plantings: Outstanding as a standalone feature where its spectacular striped foliage can be fully appreciated. Plant in prominent positions such as entrance areas, beside pathways, or as focal points in gravel gardens where the dramatic colouration creates maximum visual impact.
Mixed Borders: Provides excellent structure and striking colour contrast in mixed perennial borders, particularly effective when planted alongside ornamental grasses, purple-flowered perennials, and silver-leaved plants. The pink striping creates stunning combinations with complementary colours.
Container Plantings: Excellent for large containers and planters where it creates instant architectural impact with spectacular colour. The dramatic foliage provides year-round interest in patio displays and works particularly well in contemporary container designs where colour is paramount.
Coastal Gardens: Naturally tolerant of salt spray and coastal conditions, making it ideal for seaside gardens where it provides reliable structure and vibrant colour throughout the year whilst withstanding challenging maritime conditions.

Seasonal Interest

Spring Emergence: New growth emerges with particularly intense pink colouration, creating fresh architectural interest and vibrant colour as the growing season begins.
Summer Brilliance: Mature foliage reaches peak colour development in strong sunlight whilst occasional flower spikes add extra vertical drama and complement the stunning leaf display.
Autumn Intensity: Colour intensity often increases during cooler autumn months, providing essential colour interest and garden framework whilst many other plants fade.
Winter Presence: The evergreen nature ensures continued architectural presence and colour throughout winter months, though some frost protection may be beneficial in colder regions to maintain foliage quality.

Hardiness and Reliability

Hardy in most UK locations with appropriate siting and care, though benefits from protection during severe winters, particularly in northern regions. Young plants should be protected for their first winter, after which established clumps demonstrate good resilience. The plant's Mediterranean origins make it naturally drought tolerant once established, contributing to its low-maintenance appeal whilst maintaining spectacular colour.

Mature Size Expectations

Typically develops into a clump 1.2-1.8m in height and spread, making it slightly more compact than some other Phormium varieties whilst maintaining full architectural impact. The moderate growth rate allows for excellent garden planning whilst ensuring the plant establishes its dramatic presence and colour display within a reasonable timeframe.

Why Choose Phormium Sundowner?

This exceptional perennial represents the perfect combination of architectural drama, spectacular colour, and reliable performance. The striking bronze-pink striped foliage creates an instant focal point that transforms ordinary garden spaces into vibrant, contemporary displays with year-round colour interest. The low-maintenance nature combined with exceptional drought tolerance makes it ideal for busy gardeners seeking maximum visual impact with minimal effort.

Whether used as a dramatic specimen, colourful structural element in mixed borders, or architectural accent in container displays, Phormium Sundowner offers exceptional value for gardeners seeking a plant that combines bold visual impact with spectacular colour and practical reliability. This outstanding perennial provides the perfect balance of architectural presence, vibrant colour interest, and garden performance that makes it an essential addition to any garden seeking truly memorable year-round structure with stunning colour appeal.

Shrub Notes
Shrubs Guide & Care
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Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries

At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.

Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.

Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.

Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.

* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.

Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.

Planting and Conditions

Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.

Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.

One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.

Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.

Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.

Aftercare and Pruning

Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.

Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.

Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.

All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.

Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.

To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.

Potential Issues

Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.

This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.

To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.

Code: 1616

Trachelospermum jasminoides

£16.99

2-3 Litre pot

Clusters of striking white flowers are produced in summer, set off beautifully against the dark green foliage, which turns bronze in winter. An award...

Availability: In stock

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Code: 455

Hemerocallis Pink Damask

£9.99

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