PHORMIUM Jester

Phormium ‘Jester’ is a compact, evergreen New Zealand flax prized for its strong architectural presence and arching, strap-like, variegated foliage with warm pink-red and bronze-green tones. Forming neat clumps around 1m tall and wide, it’s ideal as a focal plant in borders, gravel plantings and large containers, and is well suited to coastal and exposed gardens. For best results in Ireland, grow in full sun or light shade in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, avoid waterlogging, and provide shelter from cold, drying winds; once established it shows good tolerance to dry spells.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Full sun or light shade

Rate of Growth: Moderate

Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained; avoid waterlogging

Hardiness: Hardy to about -10°C (RHS H4); shelter from cold, drying winds

Plant at a Glance