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Anigozanthos 'Landscape Gold' Kangaroo Paw

Native Plant of the Week: Kangaroo Paw

Garden design, Kangaroo Paw, Plant of the Week | 0 comments

Home 9 Garden design 9 Native Plant of the Week: Kangaroo Paw

This week’s native plant of the week is the iconic Australian Kangaroo Paw – surely an essential in any Australian garden, be it a bush garden, coastal garden, flower filled cottage garden or modern architectural design.

While Kangaroo Paws are iconically Australia, there is however an art to choosing the right type of Kangaroo Paw for your specific garden aspect and soil. There are very important differences between varieties – please keep reading so you will know what to look for BEFORE you go shopping for one of these native beauties for your garden. Choosing the right Kangaroo Paw for your situation will make you look like a gardening guru!

 
Anigozanthos 'Landscape Gold' Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos 'Landscape Gold' Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw in glorious Australian native flower colours of green and gold with a touch of rich red.
Anigozanthos 'Landscape Gold' Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos 'Landscape Gold' Kangaroo Paw

Kangaroo Paws like the Sun

First and most importantly – Kangaroo Paws need lots of sun! I can’t emphasize this enough. If you haven’t got a spot where they can get sun for most of the day then forget about growing a kangaroo paw and choose one of our beautiful shade loving natives instead.

I’ve foolishly tried to grow Kangaroo Paws on the south side of the house in Sydney, and they just reached for the light. They flowered but were sickly and leaned forward to try to find the sun. For example, if you have a south facing garden behind a house, fence or high wall then save yourself the grief and plant something else in that position.

If you have one of those tricky spots in the garden that gets winter shade but full sun in summer then you could grow your kangaroo paws in a pot – more on that below.

At most a kangaroo paw will handle light shade, such as an hour or 2 a day of some sun protection. For example, where the sun passes briefly behind a shade tree or obstacle.

If a sunny spot is no problem, then keep reading!

Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw in a mass planting
Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw in a mass planting against the background of an Australian native cottage garden
Flannel flowers with Dampiera Glasshouse Glory, a red Kangaroo Paw and Chrysocephalum apiculatum in the background
Flannel flowers with Dampiera Glasshouse Glory, a red Kangaroo Paw and Chrysocephalum apiculatum in the background
Australian Cottage Garden : Anigozanthos hybrid 'Bush Inferno' Kangaroo Paw, Lechenaultia biloba ‘Big Blue’ with Eremophila nivea ‘Blue Velvet’
Australian Cottage Garden : Anigozanthos hybrid 'Bush Inferno' Kangaroo Paw, Lechenaultia biloba ‘Big Blue’ with Eremophila nivea ‘Blue Velvet’

Kangaroo Paws and Climate

Your next important consideration is climate. Here’s my little shortcut guide to growing kangaroo paws where you live, with more details on each region below:
    • Tropical climates – growing a Kangaroo Paw will be challenging!
    • Sub-tropical or humid areas – you need to choose the variety and growing conditions VERY carefully, but you can have success.
    • Warm or Cool Temperate or Mediterranean climates – go crazy and plant lots of them as Kangaroo Paws will love where you live!
    • Arid climates – limit kangaroo paws to pots and only if you can keep up daily watering on hot, dry or windy days.

Now let’s dig in to the differences.

There are many varieties of plants that we put under the single label of Kangaroo Paw. Some are large with very very tall flower stalks and tough enough to handle all manner of conditions, while others are small, pretty, colourful and fussy about humidity, making them mostly unsuitable for tropical and sub-tropical climates.
 

Sub-tropical and Humid Areas

Look for larger varieties of kangaroo paw, such as Angus Stewart’s Tall & Tough varieties, grown by Ramm Botanicals. These Kangaroo Paws will handle humid climates without the leaf blackening and fungal issues that plague other paws. If you have clay or clay loam soils then these kangaroo paws are also a good option. Below are photos of some of these tall varieties growing in my Sydney garden. They were spectacular plants in flower, growing flower spikes almost as tall as me, and if fed and watered well they flowered for many months of the year. You can crowd them in amongst other flowering plants, or put them in less than ideal soil and they will still deliver. Landscape Gold is one of my favourites!
 
In sub-tropical areas you can also grow many medium size varieties if you can provide good sun, excellent drainage (eg no clay) and lots of air flow around the plants. Pick varieties like Bush Diamond, Bush Volcano or Yellow Gem are good ones to choose. These can still be tricky in humid areas, so if you are a beginner or not sure about your conditions then growing them in a pot would be a better way to begin with these beautiful kangaroo paws.
 
 
 
 
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw growing in an Australian native cottage garden
Thelionema caespitosum 'Dark Blue' tufted flax, Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ Kangaroo Paw, Lechenaultia Big Blue with the grey foliage of eremophila and cushion bush in the background.
Thelionema caespitosum 'Dark Blue' tufted flax, Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ Kangaroo Paw, Lechenaultia Big Blue with the grey foliage of eremophila and cushion bush in the background.
Pimelea ferruginea ‘Bonnie Petite’, Xerochrysum Bracteantha Daisy Fields Gold, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Brachyscome Fresco Purple, Anigozanthos rufus Kings Park Federation Flame Kangaroo Paw, Pelargonium Applause and Actinotus helianthi Flannel flowers with Orthrosanthus polystachyus and Ajuga australis flowering in the background.
Pimelea ferruginea ‘Bonnie Petite’, Xerochrysum Bracteantha Daisy Fields Gold, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Brachyscome Fresco Purple, Anigozanthos rufus Kings Park Federation Flame Kangaroo Paw, Pelargonium Applause and Actinotus helianthi Flannel flowers with Orthrosanthus polystachyus and Ajuga australis flowering in the background.

Temperate or Mediterranean climates

If you live in a temperate or mediterranean climate then you have found the pot of gold at the end of the kangaroo paw rainbow! Provided you don’t have a heavy clay soil, you can choose whichever variety you wish and plant them with abandon. If you have clay soil, then plant them in pots for a low fuss and spectacular display. You can grow any of the typical varieties you will find in any garden centre, including those from the big green shed.
 

Breeders have been busy cultivating some amazing coloured varieties, so you can now grow kangaroo paws in all the colours of the rainbow in your garden. Choose from kangaroo paws in red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, lilac, white and everything in between. If I had the space I would plant a rainbow row of kangaroo paws in my garden. If you’re reading this and you make a paw rainbow one day – please send me a photo, I would love to see that!

 
 
Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw
Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos 'Masquerade'
Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos 'Masquerade'
Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’ Kangaroo Paw in macro showing the beautiful feathery details of the flower in close focus.

Growing Kangaroo Paws in Pots

If you don’t have the ideal soil, if you want to grow the smaller varieties in humid or less than ideal conditions, then growing Kangaroo Paws in pots is a very good idea. They look spectacular and are much easier to care for when you can tailor the conditions for the plant.
 
To get them looking good in a pot I recommend potting two or even three plants from the nursery together in the one pot. Don’t just plant one lonely Kangaroo paw in a big pot. They do better a little crowded in together, they have more impact mass planted and I think you are less likely to over water them this way.

I also plant my kangaroo paws up with a fair bit of sand added to the native potting mix, plus some biochar in the base. I think roughly 4:1 potting mix to sand. I also avoid using bark or wood mulch on top. A thick layer of sand makes a great mulch, or add some small pebbles and gravel for a natural look.

 
Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos Pink Beauty Kangaroo Paw

Kangaroo Paw Care Tips

Finally, let’s talk about how to care for your new Kangaroo Paws. There are 3 critical secrets to kangaroo paw care – food, water and haircuts. 
 
Let’s start by talking food – they are not phosphorous sensitive and like a good feed before flowering. I tend to fertilise all my garden with native friendly fert, but I have been known to give my kangaroo paws something a little richer like a rose food or extra helpings of potash. Fatten them up just before flowering – for me mid to late winter is a good time, but if you miss that window then as soon as you see flower buds is a fine time to feed. Feed them again after tidying up dead flowers and you will stimulate growth and probably a new blush of flowers.
 
Water any food in well and keep the water coming through the summer. If you have your paws growing in pots then they may need daily watering in summer. But always check your soil moisture with a moisture tester or your finger – they are thirsty but you don’t want them sitting in a wet bog for long.
 
For maintenance your new kangaroo paws will just need the occasional haircut. Regular cutting of dead flower stems is ideal, or better still keep cutting stems for a vase indoors. The more you cut the more blooms you will get. If you’re cutting for a vase, just take the stem, but if you are cutting for a tidy up then remove the leaf fan that is attached to the dead flower. Generally the small decorative varieties do better with regular flower and fan clipping, while the large varieties can be cut back to a one or 2 inch size after flowering and they will reshoot beautifully. I don’t recommend doing this with the smaller varieties as they take too long to recover.
 
Angus Stewart has a great guide for pruning kangaroo paws here if you’d like a step by step demonstration.
 
Anigozanthos Bush Diamond Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos Bush Diamond Kangaroo Paw
Brachyscome 'Fresco Purple’, Chrysocephalum apiculatum and a red Kangaroo paw.
Brachyscome 'Fresco Purple’, Chrysocephalum apiculatum and a red Kangaroo paw.
Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ with a silver Leucophyta brownii, Eremophila Bev Rice form, some pops of yellow Xerochrysum viscosum, Isotoma axillaris, Brachyscome and then Grevillea Peaches and Cream in the background.
Anigozanthos rufus ‘Kings Park Federation Flame’ Kangaroo Paw with a silver Leucophyta brownii, Eremophila Bev Rice form, some pops of yellow Xerochrysum viscosum, Isotoma axillaris, Brachyscome and then Grevillea Peaches and Cream in the background.
I hope you’ve found this guide useful. If you have questions about growing kangaroo paws them please drop it in the comments below. 
 
Home 9 Garden design 9 Native Plant of the Week: Kangaroo Paw

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