Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Wednesday Vignette, the final paws of the season

Last week I finally broke down and snipped the final blooms off my Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos) which were still pushing out flowers in November - not bad! A little sun came out right before I made the cut...

Of course they came inside where I could enjoy them even more than out in the garden. Want more vignettes? Visit Anna at Flutter & Hum...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

18 comments:

  1. My goal for 2016: figure out how to successfully and sustainably grow kangaroo paws in my garden. I'll ask for everybody's secret since I've been an abject failure in that regard.

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    1. That's a good goal! My secret = buy a new one every year.

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  2. So these will bloom all summer long? I seem to remember buying one several years ago and after its blooms were gone (in a week or two) that was it. Maybe I mistreated it. Do you bring these indoors for the winter or just let them succumb to winter?

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    1. Yes, all summer. I've found that it's very important to buy one in bloom. If it's not blooming when you buy it then it's not going to perform. Also sun...they like sun! In the past I've brought them in, still blooming, and BAM! Aphid fest. These are both in containers so I might stick them in the shade pavilion and see how they do.

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  3. I do think this is a fascinating plant. They have some at the Botanic Garden here, not sure if they grow them as an annual or bring them indoors for the winter.

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  4. Beautiful shot! You have such a great eye.

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  5. Such a beautiful flower. Australia gives us so many amazing plants.

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  6. So would this be the paws that refreshes? If you brought them in and they bloomed through the holidays would they be Santa Paws? Whatever you call them, they're groovy flowers!

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    1. Does Tom appreciate your humor, or roll his eyes and walk out of the room?

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  7. I fell in love with Kangaroo Paws on the SF fling--but I'll have to enjoy your pruning tips and lovely photograph from afar.

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  8. Such a pretty vignette! I love the splashes of color all around your second photo :)

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  9. Mine got only one flush of bloom, now long gone :(

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  10. So cool! After seeing that, I'm really happy I rescued one. It's healthy, but not in bloom. I'm going to try to overwinter it. Considering what you said about aphids, perhaps it might do better in the relative coolness of the shed? Fingers crossed... Oh, and I really like your blue conifer - whatever it is... Atlantic Cedar, perhaps?

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    1. Yes! Blue Atlas Cedar / Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'...still in a pot poor thing. I'd say the shed is probably better, but I'm no expert! We'll have to compare notes in the spring.

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  11. So buying them in bloom is the trick to continued bloom. I've always admired the ones, like yours, that go on and on. Like Alan, I've been disappointed with non-performing Kangaroo Paws. I didn't even try this year - now know how to have success!

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    1. And sun! I had one in more shade that wasn't as lovely.

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  12. They can be touchy in cultivation; one of those plants that requires excellent drainage but also quickly dies if let go too dry between waterings. They do prefer full sun for best bloom, and also respond well to time release fertilizer like Osmocote. When happy, they can bloom nearly all year here in the SF Bay Area. I find the larger growing cultivars of Anigozanthus flavidus such as Harmony or Tequila Sunrise especially floriderous. They do tend to always get Black Inkspot disease on the foliage, which should be pruned out from the older foliage to keep it under control. I usually yank them after about the 4th year and replace with new fresh ones. I haven't had 100% success with dividing and replanting the divisions. It seems our version of zone 9b/10a conditions of cooler summers, daily diurnal temperature shift of 10~15°F each day, and few really hot summer days here in the inner bay or along the coast pleases them. They are also rather touchy for many gardeners in southern California, even right along the coast. I think the key issue is watering, hitting that happy medium. A gravel mulch to avoid splashing the leaves also helps with minimizing Black Inkspot disease. I especially like them for the continued heavy bloom up until Christmas here if they get enough sun this time of year.

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    1. A friend picked me up a Macropidia fuliginosa (the black bloomer that looks like a K-paw) at San Marcos last spring. It was gorgeous for about 3 weeks, then dead. Have you had luck with that one?

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