Dianella revoluta 'DR5000'

Summary

UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section.

Little Rev flax lily is a small grass-like plant, possessing an architectural form due to its stiff, upright, blue-green leaves. When averaged over the entire growing season, there was no statistical difference between treatments in any of the aesthetic ratings for Little Rev, and plants were rated good to very good (3.5- 4) on their overall appearance with excellent pest and disease resistance on all irrigation levels (Table 7a). Only in October, at the end of the trial period, were there any significant differences: Foliage ratings of the Low treatment were lower than both the High and Moderate treatment plants, and the Overall Appearance rating on the Low treatment was significantly lower than the Moderate treatment plants.  Beginning in June, the relative plant growth rate of the Low treatment was significantly lower than the Moderate and High treatments, though all treatments’ absolute size ended statistically very close. Under these soil and climate conditions this cultivar could be grown acceptably on any of the WUCOLS irrigation levels in this trial, but we recommend irrigating it according to the Moderate category for optimal appearance or Low for acceptable performance, except in years where fall and winter rains may be delayed which could further negatively impact the plant’s appearance. Flowering occurred from May to July, with 14 of 24 plants producing at least one flower spike. The average flowering rating on all treatments was 1, with only one individual plant ever achieving a rating of 2. From a landscape management perspective, this is a potential benefit as this cultivar, grown mainly for foliage,  may require little maintenance to remove spent flowers.

Participants at the open house events appreciated the “attractive plant shape,” “stiff structure,” and “healthy clumping,” suggesting possible uses in group plantings or containers. The mean overall appearance rating at the open house events was between 3 and 4 at all three events and on all treatments (Table 7b). Like other cultivars of Dianella we have tested, Little Rev develops some browning at the leaf tips.  This seems to be a natural habit of the plant rather than a symptom of stress. That said, open house participants consistently commented on “minor leaf tip browning” at all three events noting, “if not for brown tips, foliage would be ‘5’.”

Growth and Quality Data

Click Here for Complete Data Set