I think the cold hardiness really depends on the color. Diffeent varieties have different vulnerabilities.The dark purple is more hardy than tjhose beautiful pastel colored thing. Figures . As for the sun, I would put it in a pot and slowly move it out to your spot that has Afternoon shade...LOL...This is what I have HEARD.

I guess I'll be the one to do the experiement to see how it performs here.

I forgot to say this is the dark reddish chocolate colored one. It's very pretty and and I'm looking at the tag right now. It says it grows fast -- 12' high and 6' wide!!! LOL! I neglected to read that part before buying. That puts a whole new spin on planting it in the pot I had in mind. Anybody need a 12' grassy plant of a chocolate color? Oh well, it might work in the pot for a few months ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Lowes photo ...

It will grow that large in the ground in optimum condition but I bet in a pot it will be smaller and in San An, it will be smaller. This plant used to be a lot more popular in the 50's and I think people grew it in places where it was more shady and it never got that tall. Good luck. Have you asked DG plant data banks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Phormium tenax

I think they need some cold in the winter. I`ve looked at them, would buy it for $4 but the zone is only like 8 so wouldn`t do good here. I forget what I read about them that made me decide not to try. Let us know how it goes. It will probably be 12` tall and 12` wide here.
Tally Ho!

I had mine in deep shade last summer and the color washed out and the middle thinned so they flopped over. They looked better in the winter and I'll give them more light this year.

Beachplant... Z 8 - 11... New Zealand, coastal, never freezes. Maybe heat?

might be, or the humidity. I wanted to put them in a planter and then read more on them. Seems if they were coastal it wouldn`t be the salt.... hmmm...
Tally HO!

All three of mine bit the dust last summer. They definitely don't like lots of TEXAS sun. If I got another I'd put it in filtered sun as you described.

New Zealand coastal is very verdant. Not wind blown sand. Where I was it was red volcanic clay cliffs and rock right to the water. Palm trees ( north island) . My sister lives there. She has them in her place in several colors.. She is about 1/2 mile from the coast. Never freezes. Auckland got snow this year....freaked people out. They have TREE FERNS ! Glaciers flowing into tropical forest. Very odd place.( south island)

Mara, I don't know much about New Zealand, but from the beautiful pictures I've seen it seems like the absolute ideal place to garden. Sigh ...

All the answers to my question are much appreciated. I went ahead and planted the pot with the $4.00 plant until something better comes along. I posted a picture of it on the Texas Gallery if anybody wants to see it.

The garden are truly amazing but they get slugs BAD. and they have liver flukes in their wild watercress so salads are only good where their are no sheep around the watershed. My sister had goats and cows.