Dianella
(Blue Berry Flax)
Dianellas
are Southern Hemisphere spreading perennials in the lily family, with
narrow, glossy, straplike leaves. They produce blue flowers followed by
attractive and edible blue berries which were used by the aboriginal people
and are reportedly quite tasty. (We've so far used all our fruit for seed,
so we can't attest to this.) Although they initially promised zone 8 hardiness,
they apparently won't take a sustained freeze, so we now say zone 9 to
be on the safe side. Experimentation is encouraged, though. Plants are
variable, so specifications are approximate.
Dianella
caerulea is
probably the most widely-grown species. It grows to between 1' and 3'
and has medium to dark blue flowers with yellow anthers, followed by dark
blue berries from which a dye can be made. Leaves emerge in a fan from
a short stem.
Dianella
longifolia is
native to the region around Yallaroo in Australia. It grows 2-3' tall
and forms large clumps to 3' across. Flowers are light blue.
Dianella longifolia 4" pot $4.00 Limit
3
Dianella revoluta, Black Anther Flax Lily, differs from the above in that the flowers have, as you might expect, black anthers. The 2' leaves curl slightly, and emerge directly from the ground, rather than from a stem. Berries are dark blue.
Dianella revoluta 4" pot $4.00 Limit 2