Plant in full sun and irrigate only occasionally to very little once established. It requires VERY good soil drainage without mulch around its base and is cold hardy to 20° F. Lightly prune to shape but do trim into hard wood. This plant is described as one of the most ornamental of the Hakea. It is a great specimen plant for gardens with well-draining soils and also is attractive to nectar feeding birds and bees.

Red Pokers grows in sandy soils in the northern sand plains from Geraldton to Shark Bay in Western Australia, often in thickets. The name for the genus honors Baron Christian L. von Hake, a 18th and 19th century German patron of botany and the specific epithet meaning full-cheeked comes from the Latin word 'bucca' meaning a cheek and the suffix '-ulentus' indicating a marked development in reference to the swollen fruit which are rarely seen in cultivation. Image on this page courtesy of Jo O'Connell of Australian Native Plant Nursery. 

The information displayed on this page about Hakea bucculenta 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.