Bob, I have this nice little phormium in two places in my yard and it is doing well. No deer where I live, but phormiums are usually not deer fodder. You might also consider Dwarf Variegated New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax 'Tiny Tiger'). It is small, and green and white striped. I love phormiums for their nice structure, our problem down here in S. California out in the hills are the rodents. They burrow in around the crown and will eventually kill a phormium. So, if I see one looking a little peaked, I set some snap traps around it to get rid of the rodents.

Patty S.

Patty S.

I have 'Apricot Queen' and it's very good. My problem with many of the Phormiums is that they eventually revert to a green species and suddenly get very large. I have to look through the fans and pull out the reversions or else lose the select variety.

Here mealy bugs are the problem, engulfing the base of plant and killing it suddenly before you know there is a problem.

But 'Apricot Queen' is very nice indeed.