Apparently a lot of people out there are indeed growing Kangaroo Paws because the number 1 search engine term leading traffic to this blog at the moment is ‘pruning Kangaroo Paws’. Good to see so many people like my favourite Australian native.
Kangaroo Paws, or plants of the genus Anigozanthos, are an absolute delight to grow in your garden but to get the absolute best from them they must be pruned. Kangaroo Paws mostly flower during Spring and Summer, through some varieties start early in late winter. They grow great big, long stems and the flowers emerge at the top.
Pruning when in flower
There are a few good times that you can prune Kangaroo paws and the first is during flowering. My first tip in pruning Kangaroo Paws is to make sure you cut the flower stems right off as soon as the flowers are starting to look less appealing. This pruning before the flowers have died entirely encourages the plant to produce new stems and flower again, giving you a second or sometimes if you are lucky even a third showing during a flowering season. Clip the stems off at the base of the plant and as with most pruning try and cut at a 45 degree angle. This reduces the risk of disease and pests causing trouble. Doing this for every flower stem will both increase the health of the plant and also give you great flowers to boast about.
Pruning at the end of the flowering season
When your Kangaroo Paw has finished flowering (usually mid to late summer or early autumn) it is a very good idea to give it a solid prune. The good thing about Kangaroo Paws is that most of what is important for it’s growth is under the ground. The biggest tip for the post-flower pruning is to cut any growth with any ‘browness’ right out. Don’t just cut the tip off, take the whole lot off right down to the base.
I once read somewhere of a gardener who likes to use a lawn mower to ‘prune’ his Kangaroo Paws. Though I do not myself advocate this practice…it does likely work! I like to be a little more tender and delicate in my pruning, but the principle still stands, pruning Kangaroo Paws hard at the end of their flowering season will bring best results in subsequent seasons. Just try to leave the very new/very green shoots or around 1/3rd of the plant where possible.
So there you have it. Kangaroo Paws are a pleasure to grow and they are pretty much brown thumb proof. Pruning Kangaroo Paws is not terribly difficult because you really would struggle to be too harsh in pruning them. Good luck and I hope this helps!
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My 2 small bush gem kangaroo paws are not looking two good since i pruned them right back as suggested after flowering. Can I use any fertiliser on them or just let them make their own way back. Hoping you can help J. A.
Could you take a photo and send it my way?
You can absolutely fertilise them and they ‘should’ come back looking good now with the spring season. Just make sure you use a native fertiliser as Kangaroo Paws are very susceptible to phosphorous.
I have a Red Kangaroo Paw. No idea what the name of it is. I have it growing in a very large pot in full sun. I live in the Lokyer Valley in Queensland and have had the plant for just on 12 months now. Since planting it has flowered prolifically and constantly even during the flooding of early 2011. It is now about 1 metre tall and about 1 metre circumfrance. We have very mild winters here and no frost. Summer is very humid and hot, yet it keeps flowering. I cut back the flowers as they fade. Should I just keep doing this or should I be more brutal and prune it right to the ground? I don’t like to think that I may ruin what is a beautiful and prolific plant.
To be honest it *should* be fine, but I can’t make any guarantees.
What you might like to try is a happy medium. Perhaps gradually trim it further after each flower? If it is getting too big, you’ll need to trim it anyway. Just trim a little more off each time until it is back to what you’d like it to be. This would be the safest bet.
Hi I didn’t know about this pruning thing and have just left the long stem and flower on after it faded last autumn. It is now nearly NOvember…is it too late to prune it? It is on a west-facing balcony in the middle of Sydney. I’ve started fertilising it with organic fertiliser (fish-based), is that OK too?
Not too late to remove the old flower stem but I wouldn’t give the rest of the plant too much of a prune. It won’t hurt to have missed it, just wait till after this seasons flowers and prune it properly afterwards
Hi, I have just moved into the SOuthern Highlands south of Sydney. I have about 6 large Kargaroo Paws plants (Red, Yellow and green). They have got to big in their current location and I would like to relocate them. I moved two to the front garden from the back, whilst in flower, it looks like they have both died. When can I relocate the others?
Check out http://www.gardenguide.com.au/d1397/transplanting-kangaroo-paw-plants for some tips on successfully transplanting Kangaroo Paws
Hi There gardener, I have just cut down my flowers off my paws and now i wounder should I fed them some food ??????? Im in Geraldton WA what is your best thoughts…….. thanks
Hi there Aussie thumb I have just cut down the flowers off my paws, should I give them some food or wait for the cooler weather….. Im in Geraldton WA thanks for your comment……..JO
If they’ve finished flowering, which is sounds like they have given you have cut the flowers off, now would be a fine time to give them a light feed with a good native fertiliser.
Hi We have just moved to a new house in Wilton NSW and are planting our native garden. We have put in Kangaroo paws and some still have flowers on them, is it too early to prune them back hard as they have only been in for a week.
I’d leave them a while to allow them to settle into their new environment. Trim off any flowers when they die but other than that, don’t be too harsh on them. After the next flowering season you can give them a stronger prune.