Banksia grandis “Giant Banksia”

I remember the first time I saw this Banksia. It was growing at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & I was immediately drawn to the cool foliage. The dark green toothed leaves are leathery & grow to 12” long. The edge of the leaves creates a zig-zag pattern that is very attractive. Growing to 30’ tall, the shrub looks great even out of bloom. But the blooms make it even better. The large, yellow cylindrical flowers get to be 12” long although you should know it may take 10 years to flower from seed. But who cares when you’ve got that great foliage. And when you get the seedpods, they are really cool too! They are woody & have little “duck beaks” where the seeds pop out. The seedpods are very hard & are used to create unusual small vases by some crafty people. Native to West Australia, likes well-drained soil & should be given no phosphorous fertilizer. OK in a container.

Kelly Kilpatrick
Propagator