Kangaroo Paw Celebrations Carnivale

Kangaroo Paw 'Celebrations Carnivale' (Anigozanthos 'Celebrations Carnivale') is a compact paw bred for the front of a bed or the top of a pot. Flower stems reach about 60cm over a clump only 50cm across, in red and orange, so it keeps its scale in a courtyard where taller paws sprawl. Honeyeaters find the nectar within days of the first flush.

Why you'll love it

• Compact by breeding. At 60cm tall and 50cm wide it stays in proportion in a pot or a narrow border, and the stems hold themselves upright without staking.
• A long warm season display. Red and orange flowers open through the warmer months, and cutting spent stems out at the base brings on the next flush.
• Birds work it hard. Honeyeaters feed on the nectar, so a few plants do more for a native garden than colour alone.
• Tough once established. Drought, heat and salt tolerant, which suits a coastal courtyard or a hot western aspect.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. One plant fills a 300mm pot. Use a free draining native mix, and never leave the pot standing in a saucer of water.

Mass planting and borders. Plant 40cm apart. At that spacing the fans knit together within a season and the flower stems read as one band of colour rather than scattered dots.

Feature planting. A single clump against gravel or a rendered wall gives the flowers something plain to sit against.

Growing kangaroo paw in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours or more. This is a plant for warm temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland districts and cool southern gardens grow it in a pot you can move under cover for winter.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Sandy or gravelly ground is ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound and open the soil with coarse sand and compost.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is enough, and mulch should stay thin.

Pruning. After each flush, cut flowered stems and tired leaves back to about 10cm above the crown. That one job keeps the clump fresh and limits the black leaf marking that spoils neglected paws.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock, 140mm plants in packs of 10 and 175mm plants in packs of 6. Tubes are young single fans and suit a large planting where you can wait a season. The 140mm and 175mm plants are already multi-fanned.

Leaves can crease in transit and the older outer ones may yellow. Trim those off and the clump moves on. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The full kangaroo paw care guide
• Browse the Australian native range
• Plants that perform in containers
• Bird attracting natives to plant alongside it

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Space plants 40cm apart for a massed bed or a border run. Any closer and air movement drops between the clumps, which is usually where leaf disease starts.

Will it flower in the first year?

The 140mm and 175mm plants normally flower in their first full warm season. Tubes spend their first year building fans and flower properly in the second.

Can it handle frost?

Light frost only. An occasional white morning is survivable once the clump is established, but repeated hard frost will kill it, so cold gardens should keep it potted and movable.

Why do the leaves develop black marks?

That is ink spot, a fungal marking common in humid or crowded conditions. It is cosmetic rather than fatal, so cut the affected leaves out at the base and water the soil instead of the foliage.