Saturday, February 28, 2015

Photo a Day 55 - The Banksia

At the moment there is very little flowering in my garden so for "Floral Friday Fotos" and "Today's Flowers, I have gone back into the archives to find some new shots for you.  

I was very honoured this week to be invited to be the Guest Friend on "Today's Flowers" so pop over there for some more gorgeous flower shots.


Banksias are members of the Proteaceae family are a very recognisable Australian native flower, coming in a range of shapes, colours and sizes, but all with the familiar cone shaped  flower. They range from low growing prostrate forms to 30 metre trees and are found in a wide variety of landscapes.

There are over 170 varieties of banksia, many of them bred for the home gardener. The vast majority grow in sandy or gravelly soils, but here in South Australia we have one indigenous variety - Banksia marginata - that thrives on our heavier clay soils. Like most gardeners I try to grow the varieties that are not indigenous to our area with mixed success.


This beautiful banksia was planted here nearly 40 years ago and is thriving. It is a hybrid variety B. ericifolia "Giant Candles" and I have never been able to find it again in the garden centres.





This one whose name I  cannot remember is a low growing very gnarled and ancient looking shrub. The flowers are very large and stay on the bush for many years as you can see in the background.
Hopefully someone might recognise the variety.


This Banksia is unusual in that the flowers grow downward and grow within the very dense shrub so they are quite difficult to see properly. The bush is only just over a metre high and very compact. This is one of several whose names I cannot remember and am unable to find in books and online.







Another two I cannot remember.




I do apologise for not knowing the names. Over the years we have planted many Banksias and have lost so many that I have forgotten which ones survived and which didn't. I really should label the things I plant, but............................  good intentions!

Liz Needle  -  linking with   "Floral Friday Photos"  and "Today's Flowers".


8 comments:

  1. What an interesting looking flower and plant. Great shots.

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  2. These plants are amazing.....thanks for sharing.....

    Happy weekend!

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  3. Gorgeous flowers! The shape is fascinating.

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  4. Hi! Very fantastic flowers. I enjoyed your photo very much. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Wow ! Just amazing flowers and plants ! Thanks for sharing !
    Greetings

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  6. Oh my gosh, gorgeous photos Liz and thank you so much for linking with Today's Flowers, and for also being our Guest Friend this weekend :) Have a great week!

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  7. Lovely shots, Liz. Our Australian natives are such stunning blossoms!
    Thanks for joining us on Floral Friday Fotos, hope to see more of your work in the weeks ahead!

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