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Products > Phormium 'Ed Carman'
 
Phormium 'Ed Carman' - New Zealand Flax

Note: This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  
Image of Phormium 'Ed Carman'
[2nd Image]
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Perennial
Family: Phormiaceae (~Xanthorrhoeaceae)
Origin: New Zealand (Australasia)
Evergreen: Yes
Variegated Foliage: Yes
Flower Color: Insignificant
Bloomtime: Spring/Summer
Height: 2-3 feet
Width: 2-3 feet
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Seaside: Yes
Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F
Phormium 'Ed Carman' (New Zealand Flax) - New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows upright to 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall with 2" wide dark bronze-green leaves edged with narrow bands colored light pink to white. Plant in full sun to light shade. Can tolerate fairly dry conditions (coastal) but looks best with occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to 15-20 F. Possibly root hardy below these temperatures but with severe foliage damage unless protected. A new (2005) cultivar that Bob Hornback received from the late Ed Carman, the legendary nurseryman who owned Carman's Nursery in Los Gatos, CA. This plant was apparently brought back from New Zealand by Ed but was unnamed and he gave Bob Hornback permission to name it after him. We grew this plant from 2003 and thought it a fitting name to memorialize an amazing horticulturalist and continued growing it until 2011 but have since discontinued growing it – We are very sorry Ed! 

The information about Phormium 'Ed Carman' that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.

 
San Marcos Growers, established in 1979, will close at the end of 2025 so that the property can be developed for affordable housing.
 
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