Celebrated PlantsKing Alfred

King Alfred™ - Dianella caerulea 'John316' PP20,794

King Alfred has unique blue green foliage that is dense and compact. Its flowers extend up to one metre and are purple and yellow. King Alfred grows 2 ft. high with a width of 2 ft.

It is able to tolerate prolonged (not permanent) periods of wet feet. It can also tolerate long dry periods, making it ideal for depressed ares. King Alfred is part of the No Irrigation Gardening Range due to its drought tolerance and ability to survive on natural rainfall in most populated areas of America except for desert areas in time of extreme drought. The maintenance requirements for King Alfred is low, it will only need trimming approximately once every 5 to 8 years if at all.

King Alfred grows well in full sun and moderately shaded positions. It tolerates windy and salt laden windy positions and is very drought tolerant. It lives on natural rainfall in most of the populated areas of America. For desert inland type areas occasional watering maybe required. King Alfred can tolerate heavy clay to sandy soils and will keep beautiful clean foliage in both wet and relatively dry conditions.

Water is required to keep King Alfred healthy for the first 8 to 13 weeks. After this, irrigation is optional for most populated areas of America, other than particularly dry inland regions etc. King Alfred can also tolerate excessive water or dry conditions. Trimming is rarely required, but if needed, trim King Alfred to 6 inches above the ground. It is best to a void trimming in drought conditions, or in the middle of Summer. Fertiliser is rarely required, but in ornamental gardens if a darker green colour is desired, fertilise with any good balanced 8 to 9 month slow release fertiliser, preferably in Spring or Autumn.

King Alfred is ideal for specimen planting or mass planting in gardens, roadsides, golf courses, factories, offices and most type of residential and commercial planting. It is a good understory plant in sparse tree plantings. King Alfred is a good companion plant with Cassa Blue, Little Rev and Breeze.

Name: King Alfred
Plant Species: Dianella caerulea

General Description:

  • King Alfred has unique blue green coloured foliage, which complements both Little Jess and Breeze which are also Dianella caeruleas
  • King Alfred is tough, dense, compact and is the first blue foliage Dianella that can handle wet feet as well as dry conditions
  • Grows to approximately 2 ft. in height and 2 ft. in width. It has purple and yellow flowers which extend up to 3.3 ft. in Spring, followed by attractive purple berries
  • Unlike regular Dianella caerulea, King Alfred does not have unsightly above ground canes below the leaves
  • King Alfred is some what rhizomtoneous, so it spreads under ground filling in gaps and out competing weeds.

Position:

  • Grows well in full sun and moderately shaded positions
  • Tolerates windy and salt laden windy positions
  • Very drought tolerant
  • For desert inland type areas occasional watering maybe required
  • It performs well in both raised and depressed areas
  • It will tolerate heavy clay to sandy soils and will keep beautiful clean foliage in both wet and relatively dry conditions.

Mulch type:

It lives well in all mulch types, but for other reasons such as weed control, and better drought benefits, we recommend mulch that is comprised of hardwood chips or other chunky wood material with no more than 5% fines by volume (preferably zero fines). The material must not contain any bark. The average size of the woodchip must be approximately 1.2' x 0.8' x 0.2' and the maximum length of chip is not to exceed 50 mm. It must be free of soil, weeds, stones, vermin, insects or other foreign material. (Note: Mulch with less than 5% fines has many advantages, and should be used anyway.)

Care:

Water as required to keep the plant healthy for the first 8 to 13 weeks. After this irrigation is optional (not required) for most populated areas of America, other than particularly dry inland regions. King Alfred can tolerate excessive water or dry conditions. Trimming may be required after a few years, trim using a sharp impliment to 2 inches above the ground. King Alfred reshoots after trimming quicker & better than all other Dianella’s. Avoid trimming in drought conditions, or in the middle of Summer. Fertiliser is rarely required, but in ornamental gardens if a darker green colour is desired, fertilise with any good balanced 8 to 9 month slow release fertiliser, preferably in Spring or Autumn.

Uses:

  • Ideal for specimen planting or mass planting in gardens, roadsides, golf courses,factories, offices and most type of residential and commercial planting
  • Good understory plant in sparse tree plantings
  • Good companion plant with Cassa Blue, Little Rev and Breeze. Use with Little Jess and Breeze also as a contrast plant for depressed areas, particulary on roadsides
  • Excellent erosion control plant
  • Great for areas that can be dry for long periods, or wet for long periods in excessively irrigated areas, provided it is not under water, and just wet soils. Eg: Gullies on roadsides, embankments. Excellent for along paths and roads, as the plant will spread to the edge of the planting area.

Planting Rates

  • Roadsides: 3.3' x 3.3' x 3.9' (14.9 oz volume) square pots and 5.5' diameter round pots (5.5' deep) and (47.3 oz volume): After consultation with roads departments, we recommend planting King Alfred at 2 pots per square feet in urban areas, and for rural roads, 1.2 pots per square feet.
  • Garden Rates: Mass planting, 2 or 3 per square feet for full coverage. For specimen planting, plant 1 or 2 per square 3.5 square feet. (These low rates are for where manual weed control is possible).

Weed control:

  • Ronstar as per label as a pre-emergent. Fusilade as per label will selectively take out grass weeds. Eg: Kikuyu, summer grass etc. When spot spraying with Glyphosate (Roundup), ensure drift or overspray does not accidently contact the King Alfred. Do not spot spray on windy days. Please check label to see if you can use these chemicals in your region for this use.
  • Fungicides and other treatments: King Alfred has yet to be observed requiring any treatments.