Cutting Flax Lilies Back
Flax lily is the common name for Dianella caerulea, a perennial species of flowering plant native to Australia. It is widely cultivated in gardens as a bedding or ground cover plant for its strap-shaped leaves and tall stalks of sky-blue flowers. While simple to grow, flax lilies sometimes require extensive cutting back when they take on a leggy, less vigorous appearance. Once cut, the plants will produce a flush of fresh new growth and appear healthier, but only if the foliage is cut back to the appropriate length using the right tools. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Cut back flax lilies in autumn after the flower stalks have dried out. Remove all the dead leaves and other growth before cutting back the flax lilies.
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Water your flax lilies thoroughly before cutting them back. Run a garden hose on low volume at the base of each plant for five minutes the day before cutting them back.
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3
Hold a tape measure next to the edge of the flax lilies. Measure 6 inches up from the ground. Snip off a small portion of the foliage at the 6-inch mark using bypass pruning shears. Use the cut foliage to guide the rest of the process.
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Cut off all the flax lily foliage to a height of 6 inches. Work with one small clump of foliage at a time to ensure that they are evenly cut. Use the bypass pruning shears from Step 3.
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Discard the flax lily foliage into a green waste bin or use it in compost. Wait at least four years before hard-pruning the flax lilies again.
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Tips & Warnings
Flax lily is mildly toxic to humans, so wash your hands thoroughly after handling it.
Do not cut back flax lily foliage with a lawn mower since it will make the foliage too short, which can negatively affect the health of the plant.
