Banksia Little Pal

Banksia 'Little Pal' (Banksia paludosa 'Little Pal') is a compact swamp banksia that solves a problem most banksias create: it stays small. It reaches about 60cm tall and spreads to 1.2m, so it works as a low mass planting or a border where a full sized banksia would swamp the bed. Golden yellow and green flower spikes appear through the cooler months and bring honeyeaters in close.

Why you'll love it

• Low and spreading, not upright. At 60cm high and 1.2m across it fills horizontal space, which is exactly what a low native bed or a rockery needs.
• Flowers when the garden is quiet. The yellow and green spikes open through the cooler months, filling the gap when most natives have finished.
• Honeyeaters find it fast. Nectar rich flowers at low height bring small birds, native bees and butterflies right into the garden.
• It tolerates damp ground. Unusually for a banksia it accepts soil that stays wet in winter, which comes from its swamp banksia parentage.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a dense low planting. At that spacing the plants merge into a continuous layer within two to three seasons without crowding each other into leggy growth.

Borders, edging and rockeries. The low spreading habit suits the front of a native bed or the face of a rockery, where the flower spikes sit at eye level for anyone seated nearby.

Pots and small gardens. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, and its modest size makes it one of the few banksias genuinely at home in a courtyard.

Growing Banksia Little Pal in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts light shade. It grows across subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, covering the eastern seaboard and the southern states. Frost hardy once established.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly or poor soil is ideal, and it copes with ground that stays damp in winter better than most banksias. What it will not accept is phosphorus, so never use a standard garden fertiliser near it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer while roots establish, then only in extended dry weather. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring if at all, and keep mulch 50mm deep and clear of the stems.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after flowering to keep it dense. Do not cut back into old leafless wood, because banksias do not reliably reshoot from bare stems the way a lilly pilly does.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are grown: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tubes are the sensible choice for a mass planting, since young banksias establish faster and more reliably than larger stock, and at 1m spacing you need a good number. The 200mm plants are bushier and closer to flowering.

Plants travel packed upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a slow first few months while the root system develops, then steady growth and first flowers within two seasons. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete banksia care guide
• Browse the full banksia range
• Plants suited to mass planting
• Bird attracting natives for Australian gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for a dense low planting. That lets each plant reach its full 1.2m spread and merge with its neighbours without competing for light.

Can I use ordinary fertiliser on it?

No. Banksias are sensitive to phosphorus and a standard garden fertiliser can kill them. Use a native specific low phosphorus product, or nothing at all in reasonable soil.

Will it cope with a wet winter?

Better than most banksias. It comes from swamp banksia stock and accepts soil that stays damp through winter, though it still needs the water to move through rather than pool.