Prune flowering native plants

A great way to keep flowering natives in shape and enjoy the blooms at the same time is to snip off stems of flowers throughout the season and display them in a vase. When plants finish flowering, it’s time to prune and fertilise them to set them up for the following year’s flush.

Here, Jane Edmanson pampers her native wax flower (Philotheca spp.). Do the same with tea-tree, banksia, geraldton wax and other winter to spring bloomers.

1 CHOOSE flowering stems for the vase that look fresh and full of bloom. Cut long stems that are suitable for display but avoid cutting into old wood (growth that is older than 3–4 years), as many winter to spring flowering native plants will struggle to reshoot from older wood. Revisit the plant when it has finished blooming to remove the remaining spent blooms. New growth resulting from this trim will provide the following season’s flowers.

2 GIVE the roots a good, deep drink, and keep them moist throughout the following weeks to support the plant as it generates new growth.

3 SPREAD organic fertiliser around the roots. For phosphorus-sensitive plants, such as banksia, grevillea and hakea, use a low-phosphorus native fertiliser. Water in the fertiliser.

4 PLACE a 5–7cm layer of fresh mulch over the surface of the soil, if it needs topping up. This will help to prevent the plant drying out.

Header image credit: iStock