Banksias Groundcovers

Banksias small shrubs

Banksias mixed beds

Banksias growing tips

Use native potting mix for container plants.

Banksias perform best in full sun but are tolerant of dappled or part-shade, except in the tropics.

Well-drained soil is imperative. In heavy soils, create a raised mound to assist with drainage. Many banksia varieties tolerate soil that is slightly alkaline.

To keep banksias in tip-top condition, water deeply occasionally during hot months, even when plants are established. Container plants need regular watering.

Use only low-phosphorous, native plant fertiliser. If applying seaweed or fish emulsions, ensure the phosphorous content is less than 5 per cent. Worm castings and leachate are suitable when diluted.

With their striking candle like flowers, these small, easy-care native groundcovers and bushes make a statement in the garden.When space and time are limited, plants that multi-task, without expecting too much input from us, are to be lauded. Numerous banksias fit this bill, but that’s not to say they aren’t attention seekers.Whether they’re in bud, mature or spent, all banksia blooms are striking. They’re also a magnet for birds, insects and small marsupials, such as the mouse like dunnart and antechinus. Some are lured by the copious nectar on offer, in exchange for pollination. Others, such as the yellow-tailed black cockatoo, feast on the seeds.There are 170-odd species of banksia, a figure that was inflated in 2007 when 94 Dryandra species, with numerous varieties and cultivars, were lumped into the genus. While Western Australian gardeners have more than 150 endemic species to choose from, there’s a plethora of spectacular varieties to placate gardeners from other areas who are suffering from plant envy.Tall forms of old man banksia (Banksia serrata), silver banksia (B. marginata) and coast banksia (B. integrifolia) are adaptable, impressive plants suitable for medium to large gardens. From these and other species, breeders have selected compact forms and developed cultivars for small gardens, courtyards and balconies, that require minimal maintenance. Purchase banksias at native plant nurseries as they stock plants that suit your soil and climate, and offer expert advice.All gardens benefit from living mulch known as groundcovers as they practically eliminate weeding, and help rain penetrate the ground. Mounding varieties also offer protection for lizards, frogs and small birds and mammals, who forage for insects underneath.Two with these desirable attributes are ’Pygmy Possum’ and ‘Roller Coaster’, prostrate forms of saw banksia and coast banksia. Both are best in full sun but tolerate dappled shade. They are frost tolerant and suitable for coastal gardens and most well-drained soils. ‘Pygmy Possum’ suits cool climates, while ‘Roller Coaster’ will grow in most areas including the tropics.Growing to 30–60cm tall and 2–3m wide, ‘Pygmy Possum’ has soft, yellowish-green flowers in summer and autumn, held above the saw toothed foliage. ‘Roller Coaster’ spreads to about 4m and, true to its name, the woody, undulating stems throw themselves around in an unruly manner, sometimes forming 80cm mounds. Cylindrical yellow cones appear from summer to winter, standing like beacons above leaves with distinguishable silver undersides. They will both scramble over logs or trail beautifully down embankments and retaining walls.Some of the popular hairpin banksia (B. spinulosa) cultivars also fit the groundcover bill but are better described as sprawling shrubs, given their dense habit and 40–80cm height. With distinctive gold flower spikes blooming right through from summer to winter, these are spectacular grown in rockeries, or containers on balconies, or planted en masse to form a miniature hedge or even fill the entire garden of a terrace house, perhaps with a bird bath in the middle.Endemic to Australia’s east coast, B. spinulosa cultivars tolerate higher humidity and can even be found in Far North Queensland. Look for low-growing sprawlers ‘Birthday Candles’, ‘Coastal Cushion’ and ‘Stumpy Gold’, the compact ‘Cherry Candles’, and ‘Honey Pots’, a larger shrub 1.5m tall and wide.With its bold, glossy serrated leaves, and green-yellow flowers, swamp banksia (B. robur) makes a handsome addition to a mixed border or entrance bed. Growing 1–2m high and wide, it suits all climates except arid, is frost tolerant, and can be grown in full sun or as an understorey plant. It needs a neutral to slightly acidic soil.B. integrifolia ‘Sentinel’ is a narrow-growing upright shrub 2–2.5m tall that is useful for mixed plantings or hedges in limited space, and suits coastal gardens, cool temperate to subtropical and semi-arid climates. ‘Little Eric’ is a dwarf form of heath-leaf banksia (B. ericifolia), for mixed beds, rockeries and large containers. Growing to 1–1.5m high and wide, the fine-foliaged shrub has burgundy flowers from mid-autumn to early spring. It thrives in coastal gardens, in soil that is slightly acidic to neutral, but is not for tropical or cool climates.Group plants with softer foliage, such as B. ericifolia and B. spinulosa, alongside plants with more structure for the most impact. With broader, tougher leaves and a more rigid habit, B. baueri and B. praemorsa work well with native grasses such as knobby club-rush (Ficinia nodosa) or the finer lomandras massed around them.