Genus: Anigozanthos
Species: viridis
Common Name: Green Machine
Flower Colour: Green
Foliage Colour: Green
Growth Habit: Strap Leaf/Grass
Flowering: Summer & Spring

This variety is another of the larger in the Anigozanthos family, with flowering stems up to 1m high. Obviously the main difference between this species and the other featured is it has green flowers as well as foliage. However what it great about this variety is the green flower is a much lighter green colour than the stems. The best use I have seen for this variety is when placed between two other varieties. For example I once saw a patch of Red and Green Kangaroo paws clumped together, surrounded by the viridis Kangaroo paws and then another, smaller variety with yellow flowers. The light green flowers of the viridis really helped to create an amazing visual contrast between the Red & Green and Yellow flowering varieties. Having said this I would say the viridis doesn’t look as good by itself, so it is best when planted amongst other varieties.

Thanks to Lullfitz Nursery for much of this information. If you want to buy this plant they regularly have it in stock so check them out!

Genus: Anigozanthos
Species: flavidus
Common Name: Orange
Flower Colour: Orange/Red
Foliage Colour: Green
Growth Habit: Strap Leaf/Grass
Flowering: Summer & Spring

The Anigozanthos flavidus actually comes in a few different sub-species but the best sub-species boats beautiful orangey red flowers, so that is the variety that I am recommending.  This variety is generally smaller than manglesii, normally growing no higher than 50cm so if you are planting it together with that variety it is best to be placed on the outside. This variety makes for an absolutely fantastic border plant as well, especially along the side of a path from your front gate to your front door. Attracts birds, in particular the honey eater. I have grown this variety and have always been very happy with the results. The fact that is also has a slightly different flowering season to the manglesii means if planted together (perhaps with some other varieties as well) you are increasing the chances of having at least a few of your Kangaroo Paws flowering at any given time of the year!

Thanks to Lullfitz Nursery for much of this information. If you want to buy this plant they regularly have it in stock so check them out!

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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’. This probably has something to do with the fact one of my previous articles is on Kangaroo Paws and the next is on pruning Anustralian Native Plants. However let me just quickly be a little more specific and talk directly about pruning Kangaroo Paws.

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 real brutal 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 the stems and leaves right back down to ground level. I even 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, prune Kangaroo Paws HARD at the end of their flowering season for best results in subsequent seasons.

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 since right now is flowering time for Kangaroo Paws!