|
Banksia ericifolia 'Fireworks' (Fireworks Heath Banksia) - A large upright shrub to 8 feet tall by 6 feet wide with narrow 1/2 long leaves that are dark green on the upper surface and silvery below. In winter through spring into summer it has a magnificent display of tall candle-like golden cones with red styles.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate only occasionally to very little - a drought tolerant plant. This plant is frost tolerant and has proven hardy to just below 20 °F at the Australian National Botanic Garden at Canberra and it may prove even hardier. It is noted as quite tough and tolerant of a wide range of soil condition but where too alkaline, watch for iron deficiencies. It should also prove quite tolerant to windy exposed seaside gardens as it is a selection of a species that is native to such coastal areas. Plant as a bold specimen plant or group as a screen.
Banksia ericifolia is native to sandstone soils primarily in coastal locations in New South Wales. The name for the genus is one given by Carolus Linnaeus to honor the English botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who was on Captain James Cook's first expedition to Australia and collected the first Banksia specimens in 1770, including this species. The specific epithet refers to the leaves being like plant in the in the genus Erica (Heather).
We originally received this plant from the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum as Banksia ericifolia 79.125 (gold & red styles), which indicates that it first came to the arboretum in 1979. It was later named 'Fireworks' and released by the Arboretum's Koala Blooms Australian Plant Introduction Program in 2012, and we grew it from then until closing our nursery in 2025.
The information displayed on this page about Banksia ericifolia 'Fireworks' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
|
