Banksia come in all shapes and sizes
If you haven’t noticed by now, Banksia flowers are HUGE in floristry! We absolutely love these native flowers for their unique beauty to their sweet honey fragrance. They are delicious!
Banksia flowers range from yellow, orange, red, yellow to a greenish white colour! Banksia flowers have a very distinctive aesthetic with hundreds of little flowers attached to them. Our personal fav Banksia flowers are the orange Banksia, also known as the Acorn Banksia (AKA Banksia Burdettii & Banksia Hookeriana). If you haven’t seen our gorgeous Broome floral design, you will see the vibrant Acorn Banksia featured in this design. These dreamy natives make an incredible statement in any bouquet, adding a rustic look which is always a beautiful style to have featured in your home or as a birthday gift for a loved one!
Why we love Banksia flowers
What we especially love about Banksias is how long they can last! In a vase with water, these flowers can last up to two weeks however to prolong their life, we would suggest you trim the stems a few inches and change the water frequently. Keep them out of direct sunlight as well!
Growing your own Banksia tree
So, have you ever wondered how to grow your own Banksias?! We have walked past many native trees in our time, but the banksia tree is definitely a winner with it’s gorgeous spiky flowers. We are going to give you 6 super simple steps of how you can grow your very own Banksia tree!
When growing Banksias you must choose a position in your garden that gets a huge amount of sun and to avoid root rot, choose a spot where the soil is free draining. Ensure you are feeding the soil with an organic plant fertiliser!
When digging the planting hole, make sure to dig up the hole twice as wide and match it to the same depth as the root-ball. Gently grab the banksia from the container and place it into the planting hole!
Once the Banksia is positioned in the hole, you can fill up the hole with soil and gently firm it down! Create a circle of soil around the plant – similar to a well, and add in water! The well ensures that the water goes where it’s needed most.
Place mulch around the base of the plant with organic mulch! The best types of organic mulch include sugarcane, pea straw or wood chips. Tip: Keep the mulch away from the trunk/root.
Water frequently! Once or twice a week until the Banksia has started developing itself, and you may notice your Banksia will still be growing for the first year or two. After that, they will become strong.
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER! You will need to continue the feeding process throughout the growing period, preferably each spring and autumn with an organic plant fertilizer as it will supply the organic nutrients your Banksia needs to grow beautiful and healthy leaves, strong root development and an abundance of spiky flower heads!
The Birds and the Bees
One of the sweet bonuses of growing your own Banksia tree is their nectar filled flowers will attract all of the bees and birds to your garden, and what more could you want than a garden filled with Mother Nature. Oh, and one more bonus – once you have a fully grown Banksia tree, you can then make dreamy flower cuttings and place them in your home! Your house will smell like their honey scent. Delicious right?!
How many species of Banksia are there?
There are 173 Banksia species, and South western Australia contains the biggest variety of banksias, with 60 species documented. These dreamy natives are an important part of Australia’s flora and fauna, and they are a true icon of Australia!
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