Red Rover Heath Banksia

Red Rover Heath Banksia (Banksia ericifolia 'Red Rover') is a native screening shrub that grows to about 2m high and 2m wide. Its fine, heathery foliage carries bronze red flower spikes up to 25cm long through autumn and winter, deeper in colour than the species and set off by an open, domed habit. Birds find it quickly.

Why you'll love it

• Deep red flowers. The cylindrical spikes are red terracotta rather than the usual orange, and the open habit lets you see every one.
• A long flowering season. Blooms run through autumn and winter, when little else is feeding the birds.
• Brighter foliage. The leaf colour is fresher than the species form, so the shrub looks good between flushes.
• Salt and frost tolerant. It copes with salt spray and frost, which widens where it can be grown.
• Sculptural seed pods. The cones that follow the flowers are as decorative as the spikes themselves.

Where it works best

Screening. Plant 1.5m apart for a loose screen about 2m high. The open habit gives a naturalistic, see through screen rather than a solid wall.

Bird gardens. Honeyeaters and other nectar feeders turn up when it flowers, so place it where you can watch from a window or seat.

Coastal gardens. Salt spray is no problem, and sandy soil suits it well.

Growing Red Rover Heath Banksia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun with good air movement. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and tolerates frost and salt spray. Too much shade means few flowers.

Soil. Well drained sandy to sandy loam soil, and not alkaline. On clay, plant on a mound 20cm to 30cm high, and mulch with pine bark or gravel rather than manure based products.

Water and feed. Water regularly through the first summer until established, then taper off. Feed once in spring with a slow release native fertiliser with phosphorus under 3 per cent, because this banksia is very sensitive to it.

Pruning. Trim lightly behind spent flower spikes to keep it dense. Cut only where the stem still carries leaves, since fine leaved banksias seldom reshoot from bare wood.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Red Rover Heath Banksia as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly and is the economical way to plant a screen in numbers. Expect a small, tidy plant that puts on its first real growth in the warmer months. It is a shrub rather than an instant hedge, so allow a couple of seasons for it to fill out.

The tube is supplied by our grower, so availability comes and goes. A sold out tube simply means none is ready today: press the notify button on this page and we will email you the day it returns.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full banksia range
• Hedging and screening plants
• More bird attracting plants
• How to care for banksias

Common questions

How tall does Red Rover get?

About 1.8m to 2m high and the same wide. It is an open, domed shrub rather than a dense, clipped hedge.

Why must I avoid ordinary fertiliser?

Banksias evolved on very low phosphorus soils, and the phosphorus in many garden fertilisers can burn or kill them. Use a native fertiliser with phosphorus under 3 per cent.

How is it different from the species?

Red Rover has larger, deeper red flowers, brighter foliage and a more open habit than the ordinary heath banksia.