Phormium ‘Duet’ – Elegant Variegated Foliage for Year-Round Interest

Add architectural flair to your garden with Phormium ‘Duet’, a striking, compact New Zealand flax variety known for its vibrant, sword-like foliage. The creamy-white and green variegated leaves form a tidy clump, adding texture and colour to borders, containers, and gravel gardens all year round.

Ideal for contemporary spaces or coastal planting schemes, ‘Duet’ is smaller than many phormiums, typically reaching 50–70cm in height and spread. It brings structure to mixed planting and is especially eye-catching in pots or used as a focal point.

Best positioned in full sun to partial shade, it prefers moist but well-drained soil and is tolerant of wind and salt spray, making it perfect for exposed or seaside gardens.

Care tips: Water regularly during its first year to establish. Once mature, it’s drought tolerant and low-maintenance. Feed in early spring with a slow-release, general-purpose fertiliser to encourage healthy growth.

Flowering is occasional in UK conditions but may occur in hot summers, producing tall spikes of tubular flowers. Prune by removing damaged or dead leaves at the base in spring; no regular pruning is required.

Phormium ‘Duet’ is a stylish, easy-care plant that delivers bold colour and structure year-round with minimal effort.