Midstorey

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Hairpin banksia Banksia spinulosa

When it flowers

Description: Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa) Location: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Date: 2005-09-21 Source: picture taken…
Description: Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa) Location: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Date: 2005-09-21 Source: picture taken…. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Dlanglois assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa) Location: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Date: 2005-09-21 Source: picture taken…
Description: Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa) Location: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Date: 2005-09-21 Source: picture taken…. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Dlanglois assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Banksia spinulosa on Badangi Reserve, in Wollstonecraft showing flower head, and leaves with characteristic sets of spines near the ends.
Banksia spinulosa on Badangi Reserve, in Wollstonecraft showing flower head, and leaves with characteristic sets of spines near the ends.. Photo: Mike Young, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Shrubby banksia with gold to orange flower spikes and hooked styles like hairpins.

A variable species from eastern Australia, from low spreading forms to shrubs a few metres tall. Many popular dwarf cultivars come from it.

In the garden

  • Feature plant
  • Rockery
  • Cut flowers
Leaves
Narrow leaves with finely toothed tips.
Attracts
Birds
Flowers
Gold to orange spikes with dark hooked styles.

Growing conditions

Climate
Subtropical and temperate
Light
Full sun to part shade
Soil
Sandy and loam
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Moderate frost
Water
Very drought tolerant

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed and cuttings

Pruning

Tip prune young plants. Remove spent cones to tidy.

Care

Well-drained soil; tolerates light pruning after flowering.

Where it comes from

Native to
New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria
Natural range
Eastern Australia, from Victoria through New South Wales into Queensland.

Cultivars and forms

Where to buy

Widely available.

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

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Further reading