About us
Kia Ora
We are privileged to live in Paekākāriki on the Kāpiti Coast, Aotearoa NZ. Paekākāriki is a beautiful part of the motu (country) with a temperate climate and good growing conditions. The te reo Māori translation for Paekākāriki can mean ‘parakeet perch’ with ‘kākāriki’ translating as small parrot. The etymology is from kākā, parrot + riki, small. The kākāriki or orange-fronted parakeet is Aotearoa’s rarest parakeet with just around 360 birds estimated left in the wild. Its conservation status is threatened-nationally critical.
In my horticultural career I have worked in advocacy roles for the stonefruit, citrus and pipfuit sectors, a Wellington produce auction market, garden centres, orchards, a vineyard, tobacco farm, Wellington Botanical Gardens, City Council nurseries, and completed a nine month horticultural exchange for a landscape garden design business in Munster, Germany. I have a DipHort (Diploma in Horticulture) and DipHortMgt (Diploma in Horticultural Management) from Lincoln University (NZ) and a NDH (National Diploma of Horticulture) from the RNZIH (Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture). I am a passionate member of the Wellington Botanical Society, RNZIH and the Kāpiti Horticultural Society.
I have recently stepped out of my city office life to work full-time as a garden designer. I’m really excited about what lies ahead. Cordyline and Flax is committed to sustainable and artisan garden design, and being the very best we can be.
Ngā mihi
Natalie Quirke
Garden Designer
Dip Hort & DIp Hort Mgt (Lincoln University)
National Diploma of Horticulture (RNZIH)
Our Name
Our name Cordyline and Flax reflects the diversity and significance of Aotearoa’s flora. Cordyline (australis) is the botanical name, for the more commonly known Cabbage Tree Palm, and in te reo Māori is Tī kōuka. In te reo Māori flax is Harakeke and its botanical name is Phormium tenax. Cordyline and Flax have much in common. They’re both well-known ornamental plants, tree lilies and are historically significant.
Some botanical history
The Cordyline/cabbage tree is a distinctive tree and can live for hundreds of years. It grows all over the motu (country) and can reach a height of up to 20 metres high. The long narrow leaves may be up to a metre long. It has numerous, white, sweetly perfumed panicles of flowers between September and January, fruiting from December to March.
The Cordyline is edible, and was an important carbohydrate source known to Māori. It could be described as a cold climate sugar cane, with the root resembling a 60cm long giant beige carrot. It is one of the largest tree lilies in the world, and is widely cultivated. It is a popular ornamental tree in Europe, Britain and the USA.
Flax/harakeke is an evergreen perennial plant native to Aotearoa NZ and Norfolk Island. Flax is unique to Aotearoa and is one of our most ancient plant species. there are two species of flax in Aotearoa NZ – common flax (harakeke) and mountain flax (wharariki). Like the Cordyline the common flax can be found growing throughout the motu, while the mountain flax is found at higher altitudes and along exposed coastlines. Like Cordyline it’s classed as a lily.
Common flax grows in clumps with long, straplike leaves that can be up to two metres long. Tall flowering shoots can tower above the clump with dramatic yellow or red flowers. up to three metres with the flower stalks reaching four metres. Flax bushes provide shelter and food for animals, and are an excellent garden plant. Tui and bellbirds/korimako particularly enjoy its nectar. It’s a notable fibre plant and a popular ornamental.
Flax was, and continues to be an important fibre plant to Māori. Each pā or marae typically had a ‘pā harakeke’, or flax plantations. Different varieties were specially grown for their strength, softness, colour and fibre content. Flax fibre from the flax leaves was used in clothing, mats, plates, baskets, ropes, bird snares, lashings, fishing lines and nets. Floats or rafts were made out of bundles of dried flower stalks. The abundant nectar from flax flowers was used to sweeten food and beverages.
Flax was also widely used as a medicine. Its sticky sap or gum was applied to boils and wounds and used for toothache. The leaves were also used to help bind broken bones and matted leaves were used as dressings. Flax root juice was often applied to wounds as a disinfectant.
In the 19th Century flax was also a valuable resource for Europeans primarily because of its strength. It was our biggest export before wool and frozen mutton took over later in the century. Today flax is used in soaps hand creams, shampoos and a range of other cosmetics.