The Australian Women’s Weekly — August 2017

AUGUST 2017 AWW.COM.AU 173

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Plant these blooms now and you'll have

glorious flowers for cutting in a few months,

says Jackie French.

Go native

W

hen we think about

a bunch of fl owers,

few of us think

native – even

fl orists’ “native”

posies are usually bulked out with

South African blooms like proteas

and leucadendrons. Yet in a month

or two, Aussie plants are going to

produce the most stunning fl owers

for cutting.

Here are seven of the best native

fl owers for brightening up your

home and garden.

1

Waratah

A show-off plant, both in the

garden or a vase. They come in shades

of red, cream and pale pinks, with

massive, spherical flowers. Give

full sun to dappled shade, moist but

perfectly drained soil, and ask for

the best cultivar for your climate.

2

Gymea lilies, Flame Lily,

Spear Lily, Illawarra Lily

These plants can almost cause a car

crash. The sword-shaped leaves are

over a metre long, and in spring and

summer enormous blood-red flowers

appear on stems that are two to four

metres tall. They take up to six years

to flower from seed, but an advanced

plant can flower in a year or two.

They’ll tolerate all climates except

heavy frosts. Birds adore them.

3

Kangaroo Paws

Go for the taller varieties for cut

flowers, in red, green-yellow, pinks

and creams. They tolerate most

climates as long as the soil is well

drained and they get at least five hours

of sun a day. They are prone to ink

disease so ensure there is plenty of air

Keep them fresh

●If treated well, native

flowers can often last longer

indoors than exotics.

●Change the water often

• natives can discolour the
  water faster than exotics.
  ●Natives mostly like sunlight


• indoors and out. Position
  your grevilleas or banksias
  by a sunny window.
  ●Snip the end of the flower
  stem neatly to help them
  take up water. Snip again
  as the ends rot.

What to plant in August

● Buy two kinds of basil, a pot of tarragon, oregano and two punnets of parsley, to set you up for a delicious

summer. ● Choose this year’s “summer annual” for at least six months of flowers. I chose zinnia, cosmos,

nasturtium or petunias. ● Plant potatoes. Lots. ● Don’t clean winter’s leaves out of your pond yet! This is

frog breeding time. ● Garden centres will have plants blooming – this is the time to fill up boring corners.

movement around the plant, especially

in a humid or coastal region.

4

Banksia

They range from red, yellow,

cream, lilac, grey and green; some

have sculptural leaves and branches,

others are feathery or weeping. Yet all

are bright and loved by birds. Choose

for your climate and make sure the

soil is well drained and not too rich

in nitrogen or phosphorus.

5

Everlasting Daisy

The wild ones are yellow, but

new varieties come in shades of red,

purple, white, cream and pink. They

dry well – strip off the leaves before

drying bunches upside down in a cool,

dark room – or enjoy them fresh.

6

Crowea spp

These vivid pink waxy star-like

fl owers last well on the plant or fresh.

Try the “Low Dome” variety that grows

in a neat bush. Trim lightly after

blooming and feed with native fertiliser.

7

Flowering gum –

“Baby Scarlet”

This is a dwarf form of an otherwise

giant tree, growing only three to four

metres tall, or even smaller if pruned.

Its bright red fl owers are stunning.

They like to be in well-drained soil,

with full sun and shelter from

heavy frost. AW W

Native flowers

off er a riot

of colour.