Banksia Ericifolia

There are several varieties and subspecies of Banksia Ericifolia that are available in nurseries today. Some are more garden worthy than others. In my last garden I grew two different varieties. The first was a variety called “Little Eric”. This was a great little Banksia that only grows to about 1.5 m in height with a spreading habit.

Banksia Little Eric

The best thing about this Banksia is that I grew it is a shady area under a large tree that was growing in the house next door. The roots from this tree ensured that the ground was always bone dry and despite this it always puts on a flowering display every winter and never shows any signs of stress. So if you’re after a plant to put in a dry shady area this might be a very good choice.

The other type of Banksia Ericifolia I grew was the more common subsp Ericifolia which was quite a nice looking plant but the flowers were well hidden inside the foliage and as a consequence they were hard to see. I do believe that there is a variety though where the flowers are longer, more terminal and protrude above the top of the foliage more so they are more visable. So a word of warning, choose wisely at the nursery if you want a plant that will put on a show when in flower.

There are also a few hybrids as well that are worth a mention. Banksia “Giant Candles” is the most well known. A hybrid with B Spinulosa this Banksia gets its name from the long flowers it produces, up to 40 cm long. The shrub itself grows up to 5 or 6m and could nearly be classified as a small tree. I grew this in my last garden. It tends to grow reasonably fast and is covered in long orange flowers over winter.

Banksia Giant Candles

Another Hybrid is called Banksia “Yellow Wing” a hybrid between Giant Candles and B Spinulosa (Canarvon) “Birdwise”. I’m currently growing this one in my garden at the moment but the growth has been slow. I’m not sure if this is due to the phosphorus in my soil or just the dry conditions. I might try giving it some more water and we’ll see if it grows any faster. The other thing is that apart from the slow growth it hasn’t shown any signs of phosphorus toxicity whatsoever so it appears to be resistant to the effects of the phosphorus.

Banksia Yellow Wing, surviving the Phosphorus

Banksia Ericifolia grows naturally on the east coast of Australia and typically has long orange, burgundy or yellow candle like flowers that occur over winter and into spring. It normally grows to 3m but this is variable in the different varieties. Despite coming from an area that gets up to 1000mm of rain per year it is still very drought tolerant, adaptable and easy grow in the home garden.

Banksia Ericifolia “Little Eric” and Banksia “Giant Candles” are the ones that I’ve had the most success with and would recommend them as starters but I’d be very interested to get some feedback on what other people have tried.

Possibly Related Posts:

Posted in Banksia, Garden Plants, Gems | Tagged Banksia Ericifolia, Banksias, drought tolerant plant | 4 Comments

My 7 Favourite Drought Tolerant, Australian Natives Plants.

The words “drought tolerant plants” have different meaning to different gardeners. I once knew a gardener who believed if a plant was considered to be drought tolerant it meant that once you’d planted it you could then walk away and never have to water it again. The funny thing about it, in some respects this can be the case with some drought tolerant plants, in some situations.

If you are a gardener though who wants to give your plants a better that even chance of surviving their first summer then here is the best way to go about it.

I’ve always found that the best time of the year to plant is in autumn. This gives the roots some time to get established over winter and spring before the following summer. It also gives the plant a head start, especially if you have a large garden full of drought tolerant plants that rarely get watered over summer.

The next important thing to do is then water the plant for the first summer and after that it should be able to survive just from the water that falls from the sky. This to me is what the term “drought tolerant plant” means. It means plants that have evolved in their natural environment to withstand long periods without rainfall and as a consequence can do the same when introduced into a garden situation.

Over the years I’ve grown lots of drought tolerant plants and as a consequence I’ve got just a few that are favourites and if I was to start a new garden tomorrow from scratch then these one’s would be definite starters. It’s also important to point out that this list isn’t a list of the seven most drought tolerant plants you can find. Instead it is a list of seven very garden worthy plants that will look and perform very well in the home garden and once established, survive on a very minimal amount of water. So here they are;

1. Alyogyne hakeifolia syn Melissa Anne
2. Eremophila Calorhabdos
3. Banksia Ericifolia
4. Grevillea “Ned Kelly”
5. Eucalyptus caesia “Silver Princess”
6. Acacia glaucoptera
7. Callistemon Salignus

These are a just a few of the many Australian Natives that are drought tolerant plants. There are many others that could be added to the list but I’ve included them here because I’ve grown them in my garden and if I was to plant a new garden tomorrow these would be the ones that would make a great starting point.

If you want to try them in your garden just remember these rules.
1. Don’t fertilize them.
2. Plants them in a well drained soil or on a slope or raised garden bed (exception C salignus).
3. Don’t cultivate around the roots.
4. Only water to establish or when conditions are extreme and the plant is stressed.

There are other drought tolerant plants mentioned throughout my gardening blog and many, many more to come. So please have a read and feel free to ask a question or two.

Possibly Related Posts: