Swamp banksia (Banksia robur)

When it flowers

January, not flowering
February, not flowering
March, flowering
April, flowering
May, flowering
June, flowering
July, flowering
August, flowering
September, not flowering
October, not flowering
November, not flowering
December, not flowering

The Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta is just one of more than 210 bird species found in Lake Awoonga, Central Queensland. Here foraging on Banksia robur.. Photo: Magdalena B, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Banksia robur, Photographed at Huntington Gardens (Los Angeles) in March. Photo: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne (Melbourne, Australia) in December. Photo: Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Bold banksia with huge leathery leaves and blue-green spikes that turn gold, happy in wet soil.

A sprawling shrub grown as much for its big, toothed leaves with rusty new growth as for its flowers. Unlike most banksias it copes with wet, poorly drained soil, which makes it useful near ponds and in boggy corners.

In the garden

Feature plant
Pond and bog edges

Attracts: Birds
Flowers: Metallic blue-green buds opening to yellow-green spikes, 10 to 15 cm long.
Leaves: Very large, stiff, toothed leaves up to 30 cm long; new growth covered in rusty hairs.

Growing conditions

Climate: Subtropical and temperate
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Sandy and loam
Drainage: Copes with waterlogging
Frost: Light frost
Water: Some dry spells
Coast: Sheltered coastal gardens

Planting and care

Grown from: Seed

Planting

Sun or part shade in sandy or peaty soil that stays moist. Good by a pond or in a low, damp corner.

Pruning

Tip prune young plants to encourage branching. Cut spent cones or picked flowers just behind the spike, leaving leaves on the stem; it doesn't regrow well from bare wood.

Care

Use a low-phosphorus native fertiliser, if any. Keep the soil moist in dry spells.

Where it comes from

Family: Proteaceae
Order: Proteales
Native to: New South Wales and Queensland
Natural range: Coastal swamps and wet heath from south-east Queensland to the NSW south coast.

Specialist native nurseries.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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Swamp banksia Banksia robur