Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos) is a flowering plant native to the Southwest region of Western Australia. It is a member of the Haemodoraceae family, which includes other plants such as Blood Lilies and Ginger Lilies. The plant is named for its distinctive flowers, resembling a kangaroo’s paws. Learn more about these iconic plants and how to grow and care for a kangaroo paw in your garden in this blog.
What Exactly Are Kangaroo Paws?
Kangaroo paw flowers have fine, velvety hairs and come in gorgeous colours such as yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple. The height of the kangaroo paw varies greatly according to the variety. Small kangaroo paws can grow as short as 50 centimetres, while larger kangaroo paws can grow as tall as three metres.
What Are the Different Types of Kangaroo Paws?
There are twelve different kangaroo paw subspecies, each with its distinctive features. Eleven of these varieties are Anigozanthos varieties, including Anigozanthos Gabrielae. Its tiny size makes it appropriate for individuals with smaller gardens.
Anigozanthos Flavidus, which can grow three metres tall, is ideal for a dramatic display. If you want to add a ‘wow’ factor to your yard, the only kangaroo paw in the Macropidia genus is the plant for you. It’s known as the black kangaroo paw because of its distinctive black and green kangaroo paw blossoms.
What Are the Advantages of Growing Kangaroo Paws?
Kangaroo paws are a complete joy to grow. This is why:
- They are native to Australia, so it’s easy for them to grow in their natural environment.
- They come in a variety of heights, making them ideal for various settings in your garden.
- Kangaroo paw plants require little care.
What Are the Drawbacks to Growing Kangaroo Paws?
Despite their easy going nature, kangaroo paws do pose a few difficulties:
- While they thrive in their native Western Australia, kangaroo paws may not thrive in other parts of Australia, such as wetter Queensland.
- Overwatering can cause a fungal disorder, black ink spot disease, and root rot in kangaroo paws.
How to Grow Kangaroo Paws
While the conditions for kangaroo paw plants vary depending on the variety, here are some general guidelines for successful planting:
- Find a location that is either fully or partially shady and wind-protected.
- When deciding where to plant, look for areas with good drainage.
- Dig fertiliser into the ground to prepare it.
- Place your kangaroo paw plant in a hole twice the size of the pot it came in.
- Fill in the hole with soil and water your kangaroo paw plant thoroughly.
- If you want to plant more than one kangaroo paw, space them about 80 cm apart.
Follow these guidelines if you’re growing your kangaroo paw in a pot:
- Use a potting mix designed specifically for native Australian plants.
- Fill the top of the garden pot with pebbles to keep moisture in and the temperature stable.
- Fill up on water as needed, especially in hot weather.
Kangaroo Paw Pruning Instructions
Here’s how to prune kangaroo paw plants:
- Remove any leaves that are diseased, damaged, or dead.
- Remove flowers as soon as they are past their prime, trimming stems down to the ground to encourage new flower growth.
- To encourage flowering, remove the leaves from each flower stalk.
- If your kangaroo paws only flowers once a year, you can remove the top third of the flower stem as the buds open. This will encourage lower-level buds to bloom.
- After the flowering season, cut the rhizome (root mass) down to ground level.
Want to Learn More About Kangaroo Paws?
Kangaroo paws add a vibrant splash of colour to sunny garden borders or elegant pots. The tall kangaroo paw diversity makes a lovely backdrop at the back of your garden, while the dwarf varieties can be placed at the front, where their vibrant colours will stand out. Various nurseries offer plant delivery in Melbourne. You can buy this plant for them with proper instructions.
