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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Want To Love Your Flax Lily Plants Even More?

Flax lily variegata (Dianella Tasmanica) is a tough perennial that provides contrasting foliage to evergreen plants. It's a low-growing, grass-like Florida- Friendly plant that will enhance any sunny or partially sunny Florida garden. Not only is Flax lily attractive to combine with other favorite perennials, but it can be utilized to border a planting bed, mass on its own and it even works great in containers. Flax lily helps conserve water because it is drought-resistant. You don't have to worry about losing it in winter either since it's cold hardy in Florida. What's not to love!
A pathway in my front garden lined with *overgrown* Flax lily *before* pruning this week.
Here's the thing. When Flax lily is tidy and fresh, it provides a beautiful display of green and cream colored foliage to the landscape. However, when it is not maintained or maintained improperly it appears ratty and overgrown. You don't have to let your Flax lily plants remain in the ratty and overgrown category. There's an easy fix to this problem!

Spring is the perfect time to get out in your garden and be sure your Flax lily plants are pruned and tidied. Here's a blog post that explains how-to trim your Flax lily plants for best results. 
These are the same flax lilies as above *after* I've pruned out all the spent growth.
I'm working my way around my garden this week cleaning all of my Flax lily plants out (I have hundreds). It's a once-a-year project and it is SO worth the time it takes. For the rest of the year, I'll just enjoy them.

Don't be afraid. Prune away. You can see each plant looks a little barren when I'm finished. Believe me. They grow back quickly. Go ahead ... get out in your garden and get it done! You will love your Flax lily plants so much more when you do!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. Meems


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3 comments:

  1. Absolutely PERFECT timing! Thanks for the how-to, Meems! Greatly appreciated.

    Carol
    Jacksonville, FL

    ReplyDelete
  2. I cleaned mine out about six weeks ago in preparation for our neighborhood garden tour at the end of April, but didn't want to prune too much because of the tour. Your post has motivated me to get back out and give them another, more serious "barbering" before the summer rains set in. Thanks for the nudge, Meems!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, they really do look so much better after the pruning. And the flax lily/caladium combination is really nice. Your garden is so well designed!

    ReplyDelete

Have a blessed day,
Meems


September 2010

Back Garden: October 2010

Louise Philippe: Antique Rose

Tropical Pathway