Cat's paw

Sun

Full sun; avoid shaded, poorly ventilated positions.

Water

Water moderately during active growth and flowering, letting the soil surface dry between waterings. Keep much drier during summer rest, but do not let a container's root ball become completely dry for long periods.

Soil

Sandy or gritty, sharply drained soil, preferably slightly acidic. Avoid heavy clay, waterlogged ground and phosphorus-rich fertilizers.

Height

0.5-1.5 ft (0.15-0.45 m), including flower stems

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Winter to spring in its native climate, sometimes extending into early summer; fuzzy yellow to orange flowers with red or orange colouring toward the bases.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, upright to arching green leaves form a low tuft. Leaves may partly die back during hot, dry weather or under stress.

Growth

Moderate during the cool growing season

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

Australia

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a raised bed or a pot with unobstructed drainage holes.
• Water the soil rather than the leaves, and reduce watering during summer rest.
• Feed lightly during active growth with a low-phosphorus fertilizer suitable for Australian native plants.
• Keep mulch clear of the crown; use a thin gravel mulch rather than moisture-holding organic mulch.
• Move pots into a bright, frost-free, well-ventilated place before hard frosts.

Pruning. After flowering, cut spent flower stems back near their bases. Remove dead or badly marked leaves individually with clean tools rather than shearing the whole clump.

Autumn

In mild, winter-rainfall climates, plant into sharply drained soil as cooler weather returns.

Autumn

Move container plants under bright, frost-free cover before damaging frosts in colder regions.

Winter

Keep plants in strong light and check that rain or irrigation is not leaving the crown wet.

Spring

Apply a light low-phosphorus feed during active growth and water when the surface begins to dry.

Late spring

Remove finished flower stems and dead leaves; adjust the timing if flowering continues later locally.

Summer

Reduce watering if growth slows or foliage partly dies back, while preventing prolonged complete drying in pots.

• Plant small groups at the front of a sunny Australian native border, where the low flowers are easy to see.
• Use in a shallow-looking but adequately deep, free-draining container beside a sunny entrance or patio.
• Combine with blue-flowered native plants for a contrast with its warm-coloured flowers.
• Set among gravel and small rocks in a raised bed that keeps winter moisture away from the crown.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Dry gravel garden, Mediterranean, Modern courtyard, Small-space and Wildlife garden.

Plant it with: Blue leschenaultia, Fan flower, Swan River daisy and Dwarf grevillea.

Wildlife: The tubular flowers provide nectar for birds in Australia, especially honeyeaters. Visiting wildlife varies outside its native range.

• Crown and root rot: improve drainage, keep the crown uncovered and reduce watering during rest; discard plants with a rotten crown.
• Ink disease and other leaf spotting: remove affected leaves, keep foliage dry and improve airflow; severely affected plants are best replaced.
• Slugs and snails: inspect new growth and flower buds, remove pests and use suitable slug controls where needed.
• Poor growth or leaf damage from unsuitable feeding: avoid general-purpose high-phosphorus feeds and use a low-phosphorus native-plant fertilizer sparingly.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific information is limited, and no particular poisonous part is established; it is not an edible plant, so discourage chewing or eating it.

• Dwarf kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos onycis)

  Another small species, but its flowers are predominantly yellow to yellow-green and have conspicuously curved, claw-like tips; cat's paw usually has stronger orange or red colouring.

• Mangles' kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii)

  Usually taller, with striking green flowers and red woolly bases and stems, rather than the low yellow-orange flower clusters of cat's paw.

• Black kangaroo paw (Macropidia fuliginosa)

  Has greenish flowers covered in distinctive black hairs and usually taller, more branched flower stems.

The species name humilis means low-growing, while cat's paw describes the small, hairy flowers with their claw-like tips.

Propagation. Usually grown from seed, which can germinate unevenly; smoke treatment may improve germination. Established clumps can sometimes be divided carefully when active growth resumes, keeping roots and a healthy growing point on each division.

Accepted botanical name

Anigozanthos humilis

Native range

Western Australia.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.