Hairpin banksia

Sun

Full sun for best flowering; tolerates light partial shade.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during extended dry spells. Allow the soil surface to dry between waterings; avoid permanently wet roots.

Soil

Well-drained, acidic to neutral sandy soil or sandy loam, low in phosphorus. Avoid chalky ground and heavy, waterlogged clay.

Height

3-10 ft (0.9-3 m), depending on form; some wild forms grow taller.

Spread

3-8 ft (0.9-2.4 m)

Flowers

Mainly autumn through winter, sometimes continuing into spring; golden-yellow to orange cylindrical spikes with red, maroon or nearly black hooked styles.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, leathery green leaves with pale undersides, rolled edges and small teeth, often concentrated towards the tips.

Growth

Slow to moderate.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• 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

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.4 ft (0.72 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (0.95 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.2 m)

5. After 5 years

   5 ft (1.6 m)

About 7 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

Slow

• Water deeply through the first growing season, allowing excess water to drain away.
• Use only a low-phosphorus fertiliser labelled suitable for banksias or phosphorus-sensitive Australian native plants; avoid rich manure.
• Spread a light layer of coarse mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Keep digging and cultivation around established roots to a minimum.
• In containers, use a free-draining native-plant potting mix and shelter the pot from prolonged freezing.

Pruning. After flowering, shorten leafy shoots lightly to encourage branching, leaving any flower spikes you want to develop into seed cones. Avoid cutting into bare old wood unless you know your particular form can regenerate from a woody basal swelling.

Spring

In frost-prone regions, plant after the risk of hard frost has passed and water deeply.

Spring

Refresh mulch and, only if needed, apply a light dressing of low-phosphorus native-plant fertiliser.

Summer

Check new plants and containers regularly; water deeply during dry weather without keeping the roots saturated.

Autumn

In mild-winter climates, plant while the soil is still warm and reliable rain is returning.

Winter

Protect container plants from prolonged frost and keep drainage holes clear.

After flowering

Lightly trim leafy growth if shaping is needed, retaining some spent spikes for seed and wildlife.

• Use as an evergreen feature shrub in a sunny Australian-native border.
• Combine with fine-leaved grasses and kangaroo paws for contrasting foliage and flower shapes.
• Plant in an open wildlife garden where nectar-feeding birds can reach the flower spikes.
• Use a named compact selection in a large, freely draining container beside a sunny patio.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Wildlife garden, Coastal, Dry gravel garden, Architectural minimal and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Kangaroo paw, Lomandra, Grevillea, Geraldton wax and Woolly bush.

Wildlife: Nectar-rich flowers attract honeyeaters and other nectar-feeding birds in Australia, as well as bees and other insects. Mature woody cones provide seed for some seed-eating birds, including cockatoos.

• Phytophthora root rot can cause wilting and dieback in poorly drained soil. Improve drainage before planting, avoid overwatering and remove badly affected plants; there is no reliable home cure.
• Phosphorus toxicity can cause yellowing, scorched leaf tips and decline. Stop unsuitable fertilisers and use only products labelled for phosphorus-sensitive native plants.
• Scale insects may produce sticky honeydew and sooty mould. Check stems and leaf undersides, remove small infestations by hand and use a labelled horticultural oil if necessary.
• Hard frost can scorch foliage and kill young growth. Choose a sheltered position and cover young plants during brief cold spells, or move containers under cover.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific toxicity information is limited, so do not treat the leaves, flowers or seeds as food.

• Heath-leaved banksia (Banksia ericifolia)

  Has much smaller, crowded, heath-like leaves with mostly smooth margins; hairpin banksia has longer leaves with small teeth, especially towards their tips.

• Swamp banksia (Banksia robur)

  Has very broad, prominently veined leaves with coarse teeth, rather than the narrow leaves of hairpin banksia.

Banksia honours botanist Joseph Banks, spinulosa refers to the small spines or teeth on the leaves, and hairpin describes the hooked flower styles.

Propagation. Sow seed extracted from mature woody cones into a freely draining seed mix; smoke treatment is not normally necessary. Propagate named selections from cuttings to preserve their characteristics, although rooting can be slow and unreliable.

Accepted botanical name

Banksia spinulosa

Native range

New South Wales and Queensland.

Measured

Average height 200 cm.

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