Anigozanthos come in different sizes and colors

This a great genus from Australia. I have a number of them and some of them are blooming now. They are tough, water efficient, look good in and out of bloom. Good leaf color and the flower spikes are spectacular, especially the big ones that can get over 6 feet tall. There are a number of small ones too.

Mine croaked....we get too cold in winter here..... :~(

Too bad, need good drainage as well.

I've been trying to grow this plant on and off for a few years now. They all seem to die after a few months. I have one lone survivor that is really scraggly, sends out a few shoots now and then but never gets bigger. Besides good drainage, is there any other tricks? I can get most things to grow reasonably well somewhere in my garden, but this is an elusive one.

The first one I got did not do very well, had lots of black leaves and not many flowers. Then I got one of the small green and red ones. It did much better. Then I found one of the big ones, a red one, and it is doing very well. Now the big yellow one is coming along. I have a variety of soils and temps in my yard. I have tried the anigozanthos all over that doesn't seem to make much difference. I think some species are just more vigorous or more tolerant than others. In general I try not to give up on a plant until I have tried it in several locations and planted it at different times of the year. I tried 6 madrones before I got one to do well. I love the solid green leaf color and the vibrancy of the flowers and architectural quality of the stems.

I have a number of them in my garden and they pretty much bloom all year long. It gives the garden a lift of color in the winter rainy months. DRAINAGE is the key, they won't stand having wet feet, like lots of sun, bloom better if the spent flower stalks are kept cut back during the year.

We had a colder than normal rainy season this year with less sun and one of the smaller varieties did die back to the ground, probably from being too wet for too long. But, it is rebounding now and sending up new growth.

PlantFile entries :
http://davesgarden.com/pf/b/Haemodoraceae/Anigozanthos/none/species

I have a couple of Kangies sitting in my driveway waiting to be planted and some seeds I want to try. There are some species that are not readily available that look interesting to try from seed. The one that is having trouble is in the rocky clay area. That area stays wetter than the rest. I keep taking out emitters to dry it up as I have switched away from eastern type perennials to more water efficient plants. There is a place in the LA area that is progating anigozanthos through tissue culture. Small plants in 72 plant increments for a reasonble price.

Where can I get some kangaroo paws in the north bay area? I have been trying to track down the tall yellow form for two years. I can't find a nursery that carries it north of SF. Sigh.

Emirisa is upposed to carry them but every time I ask they say they don't have them.

This message was edited Mar 29, 2005 8:18 AM

You are in Sonoma County right? You might just try calling every nursery in the Yellow Pages. Home Depot has carried them the past couple of years too, don't know specifically about the yellow though. Better yet get yourself a copy of this book: The Guide to Sonoma County Nurseries.

There's also a companion website: http://www.springhillbooks.com/Home.htm

Surely one of the nurseries listed would carry them or be able to order for you.

You beat me to it H. I was going to say you can have your favorite nursery order it in for you. You should be able to find a nursery there that can find it for you. If they can't (or won't), switch to another nursery! You can get just about anything, specially this time of year. They are entering their highest ordering volume now, so figure out which one you want and let them know. Monterey Bay Nursery grows them, but I don't know if they deliver to you up there. If not, you can go to their nursery and pick one up......good reason for a weekend in Monterey, huh?

K

I had one once but it didn't last long. I couldn't figure out if I watered it too much or not enough. Sometimes that is hard to figure out. "Drought tolerant" in most of the U.S. is a whole other animal from "drought tolerant" here in the old blast furnace.

I got a large pink one to go with the red and yellow ones. The red one is about 5 feet all and has bloomed for the last four months. I have some bush babies, dwarf ones, but the big ones are really spectacular. I also have some seed I am going to try a little later this spring.

Anigozanthos, Big Red is about a year out of a gallon can. I planted it last fall and it started to take off immediately. It has been blooming for a while and it looks like it will continue for a while.

Here is a green and red one, showing the flower detail. It doesn't get quite as big as the red one. Flower form is quite unique. This plant is very healthy

Here is a nice clump of plants I drove by near Los Angeles recently. Looks like they like this climate and soil OK.

Wow, those are really beautiful. I hope my get that way when they mature. So far the ones that get bigger have better foliage and are look better. The smaller ones have more black leaves and are not as vigorous. But as with many of the natives and other more wildish plants you have to be patient, it takes some time in the ground to get established before they really take off. But for my soil and climate, anigozanthos seem to be a very good choice. I have a bunch of different ones in seed form that I need to start. The detail on the flowers is very interesting as is the combination of green with different colors. Green flowers are intriguing.