Comments on: Banksia Seminuda Flowers

By: admin

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:50:32 +0000

Hi Steve thanks for the update. Sorry to hear about Burdettii. Yes, there have been many plants fatalities in SE Australia after going from 10 odd years of drought to higher than average rainfall. One interesting thing about many Proteaceae plants (which includes Banksias) is they don’t show outward signs of stress until after they are dead. With many plants the leaves might wilt and it’s obvious they need attention but with Banksias etc the roots will die (in many cases due to humidity, bad drainage or just too much water) and then the leaves will loose colour and start to die. By this stage it’s too late as the plant is already dead. I think one way to help protect the roots in these wet conditions is to try and keep the soil neutral to alkaline with a pH of 7 or slightly higher.

By: Steve Bromley

Steve Bromley — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:24:02 +0000

Hi R.G. and all.
Well it’s been almost 12 months since I posted those photos of the flowering Seminuda. Already there are many blooms and more of them this year too. Also the tree has grown somewhat, so all is well. Unfortunatly the photo of the Burdettii is now history as we had a very wet and humid spring and summer. The leaves started to lighten to a paler green and started to curl and in a week the plant was no more. However I’ve found this out several times in the past, especially with W.A. species of Banksia and there’s very little you can do to save the plant. Best wishes Steve Bromley

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:06:51 +0000

Hi Matt My temperature here in Melbourne ranges from 0 to 45 C (32 TO 115 F) although it is mostly well inside these extremes. If you’d like to find out more about what Australian plants are suited for where the book on my left side bar “Grow What Where” will answer all your question. I purchased to book my self and it is brilliant. It also comes with a CD for your computer to make things easy and covers Australian Natives that are suited for a variety of conditions including frost and even snow. It is very comprehensive and makes plant selection a breeze.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:34:15 +0000

Hi Mike,
What is your average low and high temperature where you garden? You have so many interesting plants- I would love to try some here in Colorado, but I think our winter temperatures get too cold. I am currently experimenting with several plants native to Mexico and the Mediterranean region- luckily we have a world-class botanical garden here in Denver that does a lot of the testing for us gardeners.
Keep up the good work.
Matt
http://www.odgdesign.com
http://www.lot-lines.com

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Thu, 20 May 2010 08:20:05 +0000

Yes it certainly is a very impressive tree when in flower. It’s hard to believe it’s rarely seen in gardens. Hopefully you’ve just inspired others to give it a go. Thanks Steve.

By: Steve Bromley

Steve Bromley — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:39:24 +0000

Hello again Rebel Gardener and all, thanks for putting up these photos. The flowers are now somewhat declining, but lasted well. I did say earlier that I suspected that the flowering might be ongoing but in the end some 30 plus blooms eventuated and more-or-less flowered at the same time. The other interesting development was that the flowers were of the red variety, although initially they appeared to be yellow.
However the Banksia, previously ignored by most birds, is now very popular and has attracted small wattle birds [ see top photo], Crescent and New Holland honeyeaters, the large yellow and the yellow throated wattlebirds and also other smaller birds including the beautiful diamond bird [ spotted pardalote ].
Banksias generally are great bird attracting plants and the Seminuda is no exception and it has livened up that area of the garden. I’ll keep you up to date as to any further progress and look forward to hearing from others growing this lovely tree.
Best wishes
Steve Bromley