Banksia Stumpy Gold

Banksia Stumpy Gold (Banksia spinulosa 'Stumpy Gold') is a dwarf hairpin banksia that spreads instead of climbing. It holds at about 60cm tall and 1.2m wide, so it gives you the golden banksia flower spikes at ground level, right where you can see them. The spikes open through autumn and winter, when honeyeaters have little else to work.

Why you'll love it

• Banksia flowers at knee height. Full sized golden spikes with orange styles, carried on a plant that never exceeds 60cm, so nothing is lost above eye line.
• It flowers when the garden is quiet. Autumn and winter flowering fills the leanest nectar months of the year for honeyeaters and native bees.
• Wide, not tall. At 1.2m across it covers ground properly, which suits a rockery edge or the front of a native bed.
• Low maintenance and tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, happy in poor soil and salt tolerant enough for coastal gardens.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a dense mass planting. At that spacing the plants knit into an unbroken low layer within two to three seasons and shade out most weeds.

Rockeries and borders. The low spreading habit drapes over rock and retaining edges, and the sharp toothed foliage gives texture all year between flowering.

Pots and small gardens. A 400mm pot in free draining native mix will carry one plant for years, which suits balconies and courtyards.

Growing Banksia Stumpy Gold in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is essential for a good flower count; in shade the plant opens up and flowers poorly. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and it is frost hardy once established, so southern and tableland gardens are within range.

Soil. Free draining sandy or gravelly soil, poor rather than rich. On clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse sand worked through. Do not add manure or compost heavy blends.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Never use a standard garden fertiliser: banksias are phosphorus sensitive, so a low phosphorus native formulation in early spring or nothing at all.

Pruning. Tip prune after flowering to keep the plant dense. Avoid cutting back into bare wood, because this form does not reliably reshoot from old stems.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are available: tube stock and 140mm in packs of ten. Tubes are young plants of 15 to 25cm and currently on backorder. The 140mm plants are a season further on and better suited to a mass planting you want closing quickly.

Plants travel upright with the root plug intact, and some leaf bronzing after transit is normal. Get them in the ground promptly, water in well and keep the mulch coarse and clear of the crown. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95,. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee. Expect the first real flowering display in the second autumn.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete banksia care guide for Australian gardens
• Compare every banksia in the range
• Browse plants suited to rockeries
• Native plants that bring honeyeaters into the garden

Common questions

How many do I need to cover a bed?

Plant 1m apart, so about one plant per square metre. At that density the foliage closes over within two to three seasons.

Why should I avoid normal fertiliser?

Banksias evolved on phosphorus poor soils and standard fertilisers can burn the fine proteoid roots, causing sudden decline. Use a low phosphorus native blend, sparingly, or skip feeding altogether.

Will it stay low?

Yes. This is a genuinely prostrate selection that holds around 60cm without pruning, unlike the taller hairpin banksia forms that reach 2m or more.