Tall Kangaroo Paw

Tall Kangaroo Paw is a large, clumping, strap-leaved plant with beautiful, tall flower spikes in a range of colours including red, orange, yellow and pale green

For information on staying waterwise, seeking a watering exemption while establishing your garden, offers, rebates and more, please visit the Water Corporation website.

Noongar Name: Unknown

Scientific Name: Anigozanthos flavidus

Performance: Will thrive with some care

Size: Perennial with a maximum height up to 2m

Flower: Red, Pink, Orange, or Yellow

Flowering Time: Kambarang – Bunuru (Nov – Feb)

Natural Distribution: Grows in the Southwest of WA

: Anigozanthos flavidus (CC BY-NC 4.0) Leon Perrie

: Anigozanthos flavidus (C) Perth NRM

: Anigozanthos flavidus (C) Perth NRM

: Anigozanthos flavidus (C) Perth NRM

: ‘Brown Honeyeater (C)Cherilyn Corker 2019 birdlifephotography.org.au’

Growing at a Glance

See Growing Guide for more detail

Position: Adaptable to sunny and light-shade positions

Watering: Will benefit from occasional summer watering.

Feeding: Will benefit from some supplementary feeding.

Pruning: Remove dead or failing flowers.Will tolerate heavy pruning.

Growing Guide

Ideal Position

Tall Kangaroo Paw is versatile, enjoying a range of positions. Suitable for denser plantings and will perform well in full sun or light shade.

Tall Kangaroo Paw makes an excellent feature specimen and focal point for any garden.

Tall Kangaroo Pawis ideally placed among shorter plants in the front or middle of your garden.

When to Plant and Watering

Plant young seedlings in Djeran (mid-Autumn) prior to the Makuru rains (Winter). Avoid planting in the hottest times of the year.
Seedlings should be watered twice a week over their first summer in the garden. It is important to ensure water penetrates down into the root-zone.
We recommend using a soil wetting agent as Perth soils are often ‘water repellent’, or do not absorb water effectively.
A layer of composted, coarse mulch can help in getting your garden started. It will help by reducing water loss and suppressing the growth of weeds.

Tall Kangaroo Paw need extra water when budding or in flower to promote a strong display.
When in bloom, it can be irrigated on your rostered watering days.

Tall Kangaroo Paw should be grouped with other plants which benefit from supplementary watering at flowering time.

Feeding and Soil Care

Tall Kangaroo Paw will benefit from supplementary feeding.
A native, slow release fertiliser can be applied every nine months.
A light application of blood and bone, with a small amount of potash applied during flower-bud production, will promote a strong floral display.
Avoid fertilisers that contain high rates of phosphate – this could harm neighbouring habitat plants.

How to Prune

Dead or failing flowers should be removed at the base of the flowering stem using a pair of secateurs.

Tall Kangaroo Paw can be rejuvenated every few years by pruning the entire plant down to ground level following flowering.