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Australian Native Plants

Growing WA Banksias in the eastern states

20 years ago

I recently planted some WA Banksia and Dryandra seeds which I have had for nearly six years. I was really surprised when they germinated after about a month so I now have the job of raising them in SE Qld. Has anyone had experience in this area (with our high humidity in summer) ie raised beds, importing sand etc. I am about 150km inland from the coast so the humidity is not quite as high.

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Comments (6)

wazcrazy
20 years ago
what kind of banksia?
i have found that as long as they get alot of sun they seem to go ok humid or not
Frank_S
20 years ago
Jane,

I had a Banksia coccinea for a few years in the same general district as you. It never flowered. It did not die of root rot, but my soil is alkaline and it was always affected by an iron deficiency. I stopped feeding its expensive dependency and it yellowed with some branches dying before I finished it off. I have another young WA banksia (can't remember the species)in the same part of the garden, which is alkaline-tolerant and successful in Sydney. Not as showy as the B. coccinea, but so far so good. Your soil is probably alkaline too.

You might have better luck with WA hakeas. I have several although the Pin cushion Hakea is going to get the chop soon because it is diseased (black leaves, dying branches). Try Hakea cinerea - mine is in flower right now, quite pretty yellow flowers aging to orange. Also H. victoriae. I can give you a seedling of that if you want (just to second leaf stage, just recented propagated from one in my garden).
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pos02
20 years ago
We have a couple of Banksia Blechnifolia's, and they seem to be doing quite well in a sunny position, on sandy soil with good drainage. We also had a dryandra close to a eucalypt, but it died. I think they do better in the open. We live in the sandstone regions in Sydney.

You could try planting dwarf forms in pots - at least you can get the conditions right.
Jane_23
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for that, Banksias are coccinea, praemorsa and baxteri and Dryandra quercifolia. My soil is acid and the drainage is good - brown to reddish top soil over a clay shale (high mineral content as we are in an area of gold/copper and other minerals). Has anyone tried grafting onto Banksia integrifolia which is a hardy eastern Banksia.
nathanhurst
20 years ago
lots of people have grafted banksias. Ask at your local native nursery. A few years ago they sold coccinea grafted in Bunnings for $15.
danili
20 years ago
My understanding is that WA Banksia's are grafted onto B. Intergrifolia or B. marginata for planting in clay soils here in Victoria.

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