A beautiful bright red and silver flowering banksia from Western Australia, very popular in the cut flower industry, and a plant with real wow factor in the garden. It grows as a large shrub to small tree around 5 metres tall.
It grows naturally on sandy acidic soils and dislikes clay. Gardens with shallow dense soil will benefit from creating raised beds or mounds for this plant, and it will also grow well in very large containers where it can have great drainage. It will possibly be a short lived plant in humid areas along the east coast of Australia, does well in southern states. It naturally grows in south west Western Australia including the Sterling Ranges in lightly forested areas, so it will grow well in filtered light or full sun. It does snow in the Sterling Ranges, so Banksia coccinea can tolerate some frost once established, some protection for young plants and actively growing ones in frosty periods is desirable.
Cut back old flowering stems that have finished along with any straggly stems, which will encourage a more dense habit. Only fertilise with a low phosphorus fertiliser in spring and summer if needed.