PlantFiles: Variegated Flax Lily
Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata'

As a landscape designer I have used this plant a few times in plans. I too love it's many attributes from color to drought tolerance. The one significant problem we have with it here is Rust. I know of designers here who won't use it because of this problem.

I've grown this lovely plant for several years in the Houston area under appropriate cultural conditions. I am plagued with heavy scale infestation which is much worse in shadier conditions. As an organic gardener, I am unwilling to use systemic insecticides and so far, horticultural oil has not helped. I am considering removing nearly all of these large, lovely plants because they've become so unsightly. This is extremely disappointing.

This is an absolutely striking plant for its brilliant foliage! It looks esp. lovely if a clump is grown on top of a small mound of lawn. I have seen this as part of a design in many a landscaping.

I have mine in the ground (it broke off the pot I grew in within 2 years) and I must say it is doing great and it does not ask for much water. It has not been attacked by any pest so far.

I work at a large nursery here in town and I must say that as hard as we have tried we cant keep it in stock, even in this sweltering summer heat it is thriving.

Grows well in extremely dry conditions with no direct sun at all, but in bright shade. The variegation on the leaves got a very pretty pink cast to them after one year. Going into the second year with it,seems to mutiply by expanding clumps, so I have repotted it.

I've not had much success with this plant - well, not yet. I moved three of them into more shade, cut back the leaves into fans, replanted in forest loam and I now have one new blade. I moved them as they seemed to be getting too much sun and the leaves were browning. Full sun does not necessarily mean full sun in Atlanta.

We'll see...

Not growing as vigorously as I had hoped, even under ideal conditions. I will fertilize with time release to see if it becomes more productive.

Ours is potted and gets only about an hour or two of full late afternoon sun. It is thriving.
Watering is no chore as it seems to love dry conditions.

A quite beautiful plant for partial shade.
It really lights up a dark area.

The strangest thing happens in dappled light though.
On a windy day or one w/ fast moving clouds it seems to disappear in the glare of the sun, only to reappear as the shade hits it.

I thought at first it was my vision going.
I've since had several people look at it and they see the same thing w/o prompting.
Quite odd!

I find this to be an excellent plant along the gulf coastal plain. It should be grown only in morning or late afternoon sun here though. This form is much more vigorous and satisfactory than the species. It's quite striking and better than most variegated iris we can grow for foliage.

I use this plant frequently in landscape designs in South Florida. Occasionally it gets covered in scale more often in heavy shade and less often in sunnier spots. The foliage is very striking.