*** Approximately 5 seeds per packet ***

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. 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.

SEED SOWING – Sow in spring or autumn. Sow on the surface of good quality seed raising mix and only just cover the seed with more mix, they should not be sown too deeply. Keep moist but not wet, as over wet conditions can cause the seed to rot. Smoke treatment is not necessary but may improve germination. If you decide to use it, there are smoke granules also available here, and they can be sprinkled over at seed planting time. Seed germinates in three to five weeks. If germinating in pots or punnets, prick out new seedlings at the cotyledon stage.