How to grow Waratahs
Location
The best place for growing Waratahs is in a part of the garden which is sheltered from westerly sun and wind. The hybrids require some overhead cover. An easterly aspect is best. Waratahs can also be grown against the house on the eastern or southern side and would look spectacular in a courtyard.
Telopea speciosissima forms do best in coastal conditions where there is some humidity. The hybrids prefer a cooler climate and can withstand low levels of frost.
Selection
Start with a hardy hybrid like 'Shady Lady Red' or 'Braidwood Brilliant'. Once you have your technique right then add some of the other hybrid varieties. Telopea speciosissima, T. aspera and T. truncata can be quite touchy in the home garden. These are probably best grown in large tubs but must not be allowed to dry out or get too wet. Always buy plants that are in 140mm pots or larger. They need to start developing a lignotuber. If your plant is in a tube, repot it in a larger pot and wait for a year until planting. One of the best qualities of the hybrids is that they often flower twice - in autumn and spring. All hybrids and select forms are propagated from cuttings and should flower within two years of planting depending on the size of the plant. Seed grown stock may take longer to flower.
Soil Preparation
Most Waratahs grow in well-drained conditions. They develop large lignotubers in the ground and have fairly shallow roots. The best method which is used by commercial growers is to mound the bed about 30 cm above ground level. Dig in a copious amount of sand into the soil or cover with a thick layer of sand. Either method is fine.
Planting out
Make sure you plant an advanced plant. Dig a fairly large hole and place the plant in the hole so that the top of the rootball is at the same level as the top of the hole. Backfill with soil from the hole. You can add to this with a plain potting mix that contains no fertilisers. Sprinkle around the plant lightly with blood and bone. Water in well. Mulch thickly with hardwood chips.
Fertilising
Waratahs belong to the Proteaceae family of plants. They have special roots called proteid roots which are specialised to take up small amounts of fertiliser. Too much fertiliser or soil which is too rich will overload the roots and the plant could die. Generally it is recommended to fertilise twice a year - in autumn and again when the flower buds start to open in spring. The recommended fertiliser is blood and bone with trace elements. A trial is being carried out with camellia mix.
Watering
Deep watering is best to encourage roots to go deep. That means putting the dripper or sprinkler on a timer for about 15 mins. During the cooler months your plants will be able to survive with the odd fall of rain. In the warmer months you will need to water regularly at least once or twice a week depending on rainfall and temperature.
Pruning
Pruning of Waratah plants is essential if you want them to remain vigorous. There are three main methods.
Telopea speciosissima, T. aspera and selected forms. After flowering cut the long stems back almost to ground level.
Telopea hybrids. After flowering prune back from the flower head and leave 2 - 3 nodes on the stem. new flowering branches will arise from these nodes.
Renewing an old leggy plant: Prune back hard to about 50 cm above ground level. Make sure you have some leaf nodes on the stems. Alternatively prune back a couple of leggy stems at a time leaving some leaf growth.
Pests and diseases
Waratahs can be prone to root rot in humid wet weather. Treat with a soil fungicide like Anti Rot. Palm scale is a pest which comes in with other plants and usually affects Waratahs during a dry autumn. Mealy Bug is a stage of Palm scale. Treat with Anti-Scale at 10 day intervals. Keep applying until you are sure the scale is gone. Spray the undersides of the leaves and the soil surface as well. Severely infected leaves should be removed and placed in a tightly fastened black plastic bag and left in the sun to rot. Alternatively burn the leaves. You will need to treat palm scale as soon as it appears. If allowed to spread it will take a long time to eradicate. Make sure any plants nearby which may be host are also inspected and treated.
Propagation
Waratahs are grown from seed or from cuttings.
Seed
It's fun growing your own plants from seed. Seed can be collected from plants in the garden - it is illegal to collect in the wild.
You may even create a new variety by growing from garden collected seed.
You will need: Fresh seed, punnet, seed raising mix, tray to sit the punnet in, good quality native potting mix, small pots, larger pots.
Collect seed when the pods start to colour up. They do not need to be split.
Place them in a jar without a lid and put the jar in a warm dry position - a sunny windowsill is ideal. The pods will gradually split and open up to reveal two rows of winged seeds. Carefully lift the seeds out of the pod and place in a paper envelope (not plastic as they might rot).
Fill a punnet with good quality seed-raising mix. This is readily available in small bags. I make my own using 1:1:1 mix of coir peat, fine vermiculite and fine perlite. Remove the winged seeds and bury them in the mix leaving part of the wing exposed. Sit the punnet in a tray and water from below using capillary action. Replace water in the bottom of the tray regularly. Depending on the time of year fresh seed should germinate within a few weeks. Older seed may take longer. If you have access to smoke water you can soak the punnet in smoke water after putting in the seeds. This may speed up the germination process. It is not necessary however as most seeds will germinate quite happily without smoke water treatment.
When the seedlings emerge they erupt with a pair of round cotyledons (seedling leaves). The true leaves come up between the cotyledons. Wait until the true leaves have emerged before potting on. The seedlings should be large enough to handle. This might take another couple of weeks.
Separate the seedlings by upending the punnet and carefully lifting each seedling out of the mix. Hold the seedling between thumb and forefinger over a small clean pot and fill around the roots with a good quality native potting mix - make sure it has a low Phosphorus content in the fertiliser. Keep filling until you have reached the base of the cotyledons and firm down well. Water the pots and place them in a sheltered position where they get filtered light and will be watered regularly. When roots appear out of the base of the pot it is time to pot on into a larger size pot. Generally Waratahs are planted out in the garden when they are grown in a 140mm size pot.
Cuttings are taken at the first flush of growth from last season's wood.
How to grow Flannel Flowers
Flannel Flowers are short lived perennials with a life of about 3 years.
Most Flannel Flowers are grown from seed as cuttings are very hairy and rot quickly. Seed should be collected when the spent flower petals open and start to release clusters of greyish white hairy seeds. These should be sown as quickly as possible because Flannel Flower seed has a short shelf life. It begins to deteriorate after 2 months and should be thrown out after 2 years. Seed is covered by hairs which prevent water from penetrating the seed.
There are two methods of treatment.
1. In a jar with a lid, add 3 drops of Wettasoil to 1 cup of tepid water.
Add a cluster of seeds.
Screw on the lid and shake vigorously.
Leave to stand for 1 hour and sow.
Pour the water over the seeds in the punnet.
Cover the seeds with a light layer of potting mix.
2. Add a cup of smoked water to a jar with a lid.
Add seeds, shake vigorously and leave for 2 hours. Sow.
Pour the smoke water over the seeds in the punnet.
Cover the seeds with a light layer of seed-raising mix.
Seed raising mix: Mix together equal parts of coir peat, fine perlite, fine vemiculite or buy a commercial seed raising mix.
Stand punnets in a container which allows watering from below. Replace water frequently.
Flannel Flower seed usually takes up to a month to germinate but could take longer. The ideal temperature is around 20C.
Pricking out: When seedlings show their first pair of white hairy leaves remove carefully from the punnet and place into a pot filled with 3 parts premium potting mix and 1 part sand. Keep the pots in a dry warm place and water the soil not the leaves. Fertilise regularly with a foliar feed like Aquasol.
Planting out: When plants are about 15 cm high, they can be planted out into the garden in a warm well-drained position or repotted into a terracotta tub. They will flower soon after planting out and will flower almost continuously during the warmer months. Cut back dead flowers and any dead foliage.
Location
The best place for growing Waratahs is in a part of the garden which is sheltered from westerly sun and wind. The hybrids require some overhead cover. An easterly aspect is best. Waratahs can also be grown against the house on the eastern or southern side and would look spectacular in a courtyard.
Telopea speciosissima forms do best in coastal conditions where there is some humidity. The hybrids prefer a cooler climate and can withstand low levels of frost.
Selection
Start with a hardy hybrid like 'Shady Lady Red' or 'Braidwood Brilliant'. Once you have your technique right then add some of the other hybrid varieties. Telopea speciosissima, T. aspera and T. truncata can be quite touchy in the home garden. These are probably best grown in large tubs but must not be allowed to dry out or get too wet. Always buy plants that are in 140mm pots or larger. They need to start developing a lignotuber. If your plant is in a tube, repot it in a larger pot and wait for a year until planting. One of the best qualities of the hybrids is that they often flower twice - in autumn and spring. All hybrids and select forms are propagated from cuttings and should flower within two years of planting depending on the size of the plant. Seed grown stock may take longer to flower.
Soil Preparation
Most Waratahs grow in well-drained conditions. They develop large lignotubers in the ground and have fairly shallow roots. The best method which is used by commercial growers is to mound the bed about 30 cm above ground level. Dig in a copious amount of sand into the soil or cover with a thick layer of sand. Either method is fine.
Planting out
Make sure you plant an advanced plant. Dig a fairly large hole and place the plant in the hole so that the top of the rootball is at the same level as the top of the hole. Backfill with soil from the hole. You can add to this with a plain potting mix that contains no fertilisers. Sprinkle around the plant lightly with blood and bone. Water in well. Mulch thickly with hardwood chips.
Fertilising
Waratahs belong to the Proteaceae family of plants. They have special roots called proteid roots which are specialised to take up small amounts of fertiliser. Too much fertiliser or soil which is too rich will overload the roots and the plant could die. Generally it is recommended to fertilise twice a year - in autumn and again when the flower buds start to open in spring. The recommended fertiliser is blood and bone with trace elements. A trial is being carried out with camellia mix.
Watering
Deep watering is best to encourage roots to go deep. That means putting the dripper or sprinkler on a timer for about 15 mins. During the cooler months your plants will be able to survive with the odd fall of rain. In the warmer months you will need to water regularly at least once or twice a week depending on rainfall and temperature.
Pruning
Pruning of Waratah plants is essential if you want them to remain vigorous. There are three main methods.
Telopea speciosissima, T. aspera and selected forms. After flowering cut the long stems back almost to ground level.
Telopea hybrids. After flowering prune back from the flower head and leave 2 - 3 nodes on the stem. new flowering branches will arise from these nodes.
Renewing an old leggy plant: Prune back hard to about 50 cm above ground level. Make sure you have some leaf nodes on the stems. Alternatively prune back a couple of leggy stems at a time leaving some leaf growth.
Pests and diseases
Waratahs can be prone to root rot in humid wet weather. Treat with a soil fungicide like Anti Rot. Palm scale is a pest which comes in with other plants and usually affects Waratahs during a dry autumn. Mealy Bug is a stage of Palm scale. Treat with Anti-Scale at 10 day intervals. Keep applying until you are sure the scale is gone. Spray the undersides of the leaves and the soil surface as well. Severely infected leaves should be removed and placed in a tightly fastened black plastic bag and left in the sun to rot. Alternatively burn the leaves. You will need to treat palm scale as soon as it appears. If allowed to spread it will take a long time to eradicate. Make sure any plants nearby which may be host are also inspected and treated.
Propagation
Waratahs are grown from seed or from cuttings.
Seed
It's fun growing your own plants from seed. Seed can be collected from plants in the garden - it is illegal to collect in the wild.
You may even create a new variety by growing from garden collected seed.
You will need: Fresh seed, punnet, seed raising mix, tray to sit the punnet in, good quality native potting mix, small pots, larger pots.
Collect seed when the pods start to colour up. They do not need to be split.
Place them in a jar without a lid and put the jar in a warm dry position - a sunny windowsill is ideal. The pods will gradually split and open up to reveal two rows of winged seeds. Carefully lift the seeds out of the pod and place in a paper envelope (not plastic as they might rot).
Fill a punnet with good quality seed-raising mix. This is readily available in small bags. I make my own using 1:1:1 mix of coir peat, fine vermiculite and fine perlite. Remove the winged seeds and bury them in the mix leaving part of the wing exposed. Sit the punnet in a tray and water from below using capillary action. Replace water in the bottom of the tray regularly. Depending on the time of year fresh seed should germinate within a few weeks. Older seed may take longer. If you have access to smoke water you can soak the punnet in smoke water after putting in the seeds. This may speed up the germination process. It is not necessary however as most seeds will germinate quite happily without smoke water treatment.
When the seedlings emerge they erupt with a pair of round cotyledons (seedling leaves). The true leaves come up between the cotyledons. Wait until the true leaves have emerged before potting on. The seedlings should be large enough to handle. This might take another couple of weeks.
Separate the seedlings by upending the punnet and carefully lifting each seedling out of the mix. Hold the seedling between thumb and forefinger over a small clean pot and fill around the roots with a good quality native potting mix - make sure it has a low Phosphorus content in the fertiliser. Keep filling until you have reached the base of the cotyledons and firm down well. Water the pots and place them in a sheltered position where they get filtered light and will be watered regularly. When roots appear out of the base of the pot it is time to pot on into a larger size pot. Generally Waratahs are planted out in the garden when they are grown in a 140mm size pot.
Cuttings are taken at the first flush of growth from last season's wood.
How to grow Flannel Flowers
Flannel Flowers are short lived perennials with a life of about 3 years.
Most Flannel Flowers are grown from seed as cuttings are very hairy and rot quickly. Seed should be collected when the spent flower petals open and start to release clusters of greyish white hairy seeds. These should be sown as quickly as possible because Flannel Flower seed has a short shelf life. It begins to deteriorate after 2 months and should be thrown out after 2 years. Seed is covered by hairs which prevent water from penetrating the seed.
There are two methods of treatment.
1. In a jar with a lid, add 3 drops of Wettasoil to 1 cup of tepid water.
Add a cluster of seeds.
Screw on the lid and shake vigorously.
Leave to stand for 1 hour and sow.
Pour the water over the seeds in the punnet.
Cover the seeds with a light layer of potting mix.
2. Add a cup of smoked water to a jar with a lid.
Add seeds, shake vigorously and leave for 2 hours. Sow.
Pour the smoke water over the seeds in the punnet.
Cover the seeds with a light layer of seed-raising mix.
Seed raising mix: Mix together equal parts of coir peat, fine perlite, fine vemiculite or buy a commercial seed raising mix.
Stand punnets in a container which allows watering from below. Replace water frequently.
Flannel Flower seed usually takes up to a month to germinate but could take longer. The ideal temperature is around 20C.
Pricking out: When seedlings show their first pair of white hairy leaves remove carefully from the punnet and place into a pot filled with 3 parts premium potting mix and 1 part sand. Keep the pots in a dry warm place and water the soil not the leaves. Fertilise regularly with a foliar feed like Aquasol.
Planting out: When plants are about 15 cm high, they can be planted out into the garden in a warm well-drained position or repotted into a terracotta tub. They will flower soon after planting out and will flower almost continuously during the warmer months. Cut back dead flowers and any dead foliage.