Phormium ‘Black Pepe’

Common Name:
New Zealand Flax ‘Black Pepe’

Description:
Phormium ‘Black Pepe’ is a striking dwarf flax cultivar native to New Zealand, prized for its bold, deep purple to nearly black foliage that adds dramatic contrast and texture to garden designs. This compact, slow-growing plant features narrow, upright sword-like leaves that hold their colour year-round, making it a standout in borders, rockeries, coastal gardens, and containers. It thrives in Melbourne’s climate, tolerating both coastal winds and light frosts. Best grown in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil, ‘Black Pepe’ is drought-tolerant once established and virtually maintenance-free, requiring little more than the removal of spent leaves. Its small form makes it ideal for mass planting, edging, or as an accent in mixed plantings. While flowering is infrequent in dwarf varieties, it may produce small tubular red-bronze flowers on upright stems in summer, especially when mature and grown in optimal conditions.

Form:
Shrub – Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature Size:
Height: 30–40 cm
Width: 30–40 cm

Aspect:
Full Sun
Part Shade

Flowering:
Flowers in Summer (occasionally)
Does not flower reliably under Melbourne’s conditions

Flower Colour:
Red-bronze (when present)

Key Attributes:
Suitable for Pots
Drought Tolerant
Low Maintenance
Ornamental Foliage
Suitable for Coastal Gardens
Evergreen
Frost Tolerant

Toxicity:
Generally non-toxic, but ingestion may cause mild discomfort in pets.

Companion Plants:
Carex testacea
Lomandra ‘Tanika’
Sedum ‘Matrona’
Westringia fruticosa
Leucophyta brownii

Plant Growers Australia (PGA) is an innovative wholesale production nursery based in Melbourne, renowned for superior quality garden plants and pioneering breeding programs.
PGA do not sell direct to the public, but their website has detailed information on this species that is available for everyone to access. 
Visit www.pga.com.au for further details and photos of this plant.