A long-lived and hardy ‘Bush Gems Landscapers’ kangaroo paw with abundant golden flowers.
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Anigozanthos 'Bush Pioneer'
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Anigozanthos 'Bush Pioneer'
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Anigozanthos 'Bush Pioneer'
This reliable kangaroo paw from the ‘Bush Gems Landscapers’ series is a great tall paw that will establish easily in the garden and perform beautifully for years.
Like the rest of the ‘Bush Gems Landscapers’ range, ‘Bush Pioneer’ has been selected for its resistance to drought, pests and diseases and for it’s ability to thrive and flower prolifically with just a once yearly pruning and feeding.
‘Bush Pioneer’ is a hardy and attractive Kangaroo paw designed specifically for landscape use and permanent garden plantings.
Description:
‘Bush Pioneer’ is an extremely tough tall variety of Kangaroo paw which is long-lived and low maintenance. This variety of Kangaroo Paw has dark glossy sword like foliage growing in a cluster up to 1m wide and eye-catching bright gold flowers with striking deep red throats and stems. Flowers prolifically once a year atop a well branched flower stem up to 2m high throughout late Spring and Summer.
Features:
Attracts Wildlife
Kangaroo paws and this variety in particular are excellent for attracting birds, as their abundant nectar provides a feast for native birds including honeyeaters, wattle-birds and spinebills. The tubular flowers also attract butterflies and bees.
Perfect Landscape Plant
Bred for toughness, longevity and beauty ‘Bush Pioneer’ represents all the best qualities of Australian native plants and has been created to fill the demand for a reliable Kangaroo Paw for permanent plantings and landscaping.
Spectacular Native Flower
The unique appeal of the red and gold flowers creates a gorgeous display in the landscape or home garden, and this iconic native also makes a great cut flower.
Uses:
Landscape and Garden
‘Bush Pioneer’ is an exceptional landscape plant. This tough, low maintenance Kangaroo Paw that will perform reliably for years. ‘Pioneer’ is also great for permanent home garden plantings and large pots or containers.
The lush evergreen foliage and stunning flowers make it a spectacular feature plant, it is also fantastic for mass plantings where the floral display will really make an impact.
Makes a great backdrop planting or mixed planting with other varieties of Kangaroo Paw and popular native grasses to add colour and depth to Native garden designs.
Requirements:
Full Sun is best though they will tolerate partial shade
Drought tolerant
Frost tolerant (Light)
Soil – Good drainage is necessary. Adding a small amount of organic matter to the soil will encourage strong healthy growth.
Low maintenance- Once yearly pruning is important to keep plants looking healthy, they will thrive long term if maintained in this way.
Maintenance:
Tall Kangaroo Paws respond very well to a hard pruning once a year after flowering has finished at the end of Summer.
Cutting back hard at this point will encourage healthy new shoots to grow which will bear the next year’s flowers, as each fan of leaves supports just one flower stem and will begin to die back after the flowers have completely finished.
Kangaroo Paws should be cut back right to ground level, removing all old foliage and flowers. This can be done with secateurs or even a lawnmower for larger patches!
Fertilize after cutting back with a generous handful of general purpose or Native fertilizer. Either can be used as the tall Kangaroo Paws are not overly sensitive to Phosphorus. Repeat in Spring during their growing season for spectacular results.
Larger plants will respond well to being lifted and divided every three years or so, this will renew the plant and is a great way to easily multiply Kangaroo Paws.
Extended flowering can be encouraged by watering the plant well throughout the growing season, particularly when flower buds are forming.
Though they are drought tolerant they will respond best if watered well during early Spring and Summer, which helps to maintain the longevity of the blooms. Water well when establishing and apply mulch after planting.
Hint from Angus-
A handy tip to prolong the flowering season of the taller kangaroo paws is to cut the top half of the flower stem (cut just above the lower flower buds on the stem as soon as the first flower opens) and use it indoors as a cut flower.
This encourages the dormant flower buds that remain on the bottom half of the flower stem to grow into side branches that will extend the flowering period (usually from late spring to mid-summer) by up to a month or two.
See my article on Renew Your Kangaroo Paw for maintenance tips>>>