- Joined: February 2006
- Location: Western Australia (southern)
- Post Count: 4,773
Because there is little colourful beauty in my own garden at the moment,
I took the camera with me on my trip to the city (hairdresser, then
some last minute Christmas shopping.) I found some plantings of
red kangaroo paw in one of the malls.
The emblem of this State is the red and green variety, probably a better
known native plant.
Western Australia (Temperate or "Mediterranean" Climate).
Plant Hardiness Zone: 10 Plus
The Earth Laughs in Flowers- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Joined: September 2003
- Location: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
- Post Count: 7,550
Look at those people walking around with bare legs and arms. It's chilly here, I WANT SUMMER BACK!
Mary Vancouver Island Zone 8
- Joined: February 2006
- Location: Western Australia (southern)
- Post Count: 4,773
Grindle, I only once grew kangaroo paws in the garden, and the clump
eventually died, so I am not an expert, but I have heard it said many
times that you can fertilise them quite regularly, but as they are used to
growing in poor soils, it is probably better to use diluted fertiliser,or
apply it when irrigating.
Western Australia (Temperate or "Mediterranean" Climate).
Plant Hardiness Zone: 10 Plus
The Earth Laughs in Flowers- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Joined: September 2003
- Location: Quad Cities Zone 5
- Post Count: 28,673
Cool I've never heard of those before. Grindle if they do well for you save some seeds.
Those plantings look so cool. I blew up the picture and saw them in the background too. Very interesting plant but why do they call them Kangaroo Paws?
Maybe I need to look at Kangaroos a bit more.
booLive well, laugh hard and dig up your yard.
My Blog: ~~
QC Garden ~~ Do you have a garden blog? Become a Blossom Swap link partner:
Swap Links.
- Joined: September 2003
- Location: Slap bang in the middle of Devon England
- Post Count: 6,423
I've grown kangaroo paws from seed, but they weren't like that. They had strappy leaves like crocosmia, but lovely if unusual flowers.
They were from Australia and not winter hardy here, they also made good indoor plants.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richard.../gifs/owls.gif
Lord High Executioner.
My Garden Webpage
Zone: Devon, England. Pick any number between 2 and 11.
- Joined: February 2006
- Location: Western Australia (southern)
- Post Count: 4,773
I think the red and green ones (W.A. emblem) are more interesting.
The Aboriginal people named them, and they apparently present a
very lifelike imitation of a kangaroo's paws. If you look at the big version
of the picture and then if you find one of these tiny magnifying signs, a circle with a plus in it,
to enlarge it further, you can imagine this better.
They were always being presented as plants that did not do too well in
gardens and were better left as wild, but I think in recent times they
have improved the stock for the home gardener.
It is protected from collection in the wild now -you need a licence to do
this. Nollamara, about two suburbs away from us, is named after the
black kangaroo paw - alas, a built up place now without any wildflowers.
Western Australia (Temperate or "Mediterranean" Climate).
Plant Hardiness Zone: 10 Plus
The Earth Laughs in Flowers- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Joined: June 2005
- Location: Kadina, South Australia
- Post Count: 2,410
I/told/the/nursery/man/she/lived/in/Devon/and/he/reckommeded/the/seeds/to
send.He/did/talk/me/out/of/
Lechenaultia biloba; Blue leschenaultia
The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer to God's heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth
Dorothy Gurney 1858 - 1952
- Joined: June 2005
- Location: Kadina, South Australia
- Post Count: 2,410
Kangaroo Paws - genus Anigozanthos
found/the/above/may/be/helpful/Grindle.
The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer to God's heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth
Dorothy Gurney 1858 - 1952
- Joined: September 2004
- Location: Altoona, Pa.
- Post Count: 9,818
I just took a closer look at your kangaroo paws, Pennylee. Very different!
http://www.blossomswap.com/images/sneezie.jpg
"May all your weeds be wildflowers..........Free weeds pick your own!"
SHARON zones 5+6
- Joined: February 2006
- Location: Western Australia (southern)
- Post Count: 4,773
Yes, Sneezie, it makes you wonder why a native flower should so accurately
imitate the paw of a native animal. I know there are flowers which cleverly imitate an insect, to attract pollination, but in the case of
the kangaroo paw flower, the practical reason for imitation does not seem
to be obvious.
I found another website which goes into more detail about this plant, if
anyone cares to read it. Hard pruning apparently prolongs its life.
In my garden, they acted more like long-living annuals than perennials, but
then again since I grew them, they have been bred to be better specimens.
Gardening Australia - Fact Sheet: Kangaroo Paws
Western Australia (Temperate or "Mediterranean" Climate).
Plant Hardiness Zone: 10 Plus
The Earth Laughs in Flowers- Ralph Waldo Emerson
and I have lots of poor soil.
