Borrowed from our friends down under, the Kangaroo Paw is becoming a staple of Southwest gardens. And rightly so, the drought tolerant, fuzzy pawed plant is a perfect fit for our scorching summers and lack of water...
The blooms range in color from bright yellow to a deep burgundy with oranges and reds in between. The ones pictures are the standard Kangaroo Paw that grow quite tall, but you can find dwarf or miniature versions that will stay closer to the ground. These also make excellent cut flowers since they can last a long time (and look great dried too!).
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Wow, I had no idea Kangaroo Paw was popular around the world.
I am in Perth, Western Australia and there are hundreds of native varieties here.
Tip: Don't fertilise them, they hate nitrogen!
Would they work potted as a house plant?
I love the idea of drought tolerant plants that can be cut to bring indoors. Do you guys have any local or online resources for the gorgeous Kangaroo Paw?
Nice I may try one on the patio. If you think LA has scorching summers, try Houston!!
I love kangaroo paw! Whenever Trader Joe's has it, I make a point to get some. It lasts for a while in a vase.
I second aria's comment. I live in Florida and would love to get my hands on some, but can't seem to find locally.
Actually, Blandwagon, they do nicely in pots as long as they're not pot bound, and they get full sun. This way you can move them out of sight when they look ratty.
I fell in love with this plant as I was gathering photos of wedding flowers I liked. Alas, I removed it from the list of possibilities due to the fact that we're doing a "green" wedding and they're anything but local.
If they do well in pots, would they do well in Minnesota? Too moist?
lilithslair--might be too moist but if you can get them in the sun and in soil that drains well you might be ok! A good rule of thumb is to see if anyone else in the nieghborhood has had any luck with them...
Can kangaroo hold up to 30 degree winters as well as 100+ degree summers, pouring rain for 2 months, intermittently, and 10 months of no rain?