Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through Its clusters of pawlike tubular, fuzzy yellow, pink or red blooms attract hummingbirds from late spring through fall. While a waving bank of kangaroo paws is an impressive sight , removing old stalks keeps the plant looking tidy and a winter cleanup helps eliminate the potential for disease.
Kangaroo paw produces fans of strappy foliage from fleshy underground stems and each fan blooms only once before dying back, though rhizomes continue to produce fans throughout the growing season. The leafless flower stalks have multiple branches, each one capped with a multifinger paw. It grows best in full sun and dry soil, though 1 inch of water per week during the summer gives you more and larger flowers, though it can shorten the overall life of the plant.
There are approximately 11 species of kangaroo paw, with tall kangaroo paw Angiozanthos flavidus -- which can reach 6 feet tall -- being the most common in the U. Dwarf hybrids that reach only 18 inches to 3 feet tall are also available. The velvety kangaroo paw flowers tend to dry on the stalk as they fade throughout the summer and into fall.
Removing the dried stalk at its base with clean pruners refreshes the look of the plant and keep the plant from devoting its energy to making seed. Cutting out the stalks at the base encourages the rhizome to produce more flowering fans, extending your bloom period. In addition, you can add other green accents or additional flowers to your bouquet. You can place the centerpiece in your office, bathroom, living room, or kitchen. Put your kangaroo paws in a decorative vase full of water.
Make sure each of your stems is submerged at the bottom. Cut the tips of the stems every day or every other day. Your cut flowers absorb water from the bottom of the stem.
To keep the flower healthy, take them out of the vase, place them on a paper towel, and cut the end of the plant at an angle. Cut your stems under flowing water.
This will help prevent air from getting drawn up into the stem and allow the stems to absorb water more easily. Change the water in your vase when you snip the stems. Before you snip your stems, pour out the water and fill up your vase about two thirds of the way full with fresh water. If there are any leaves in the vase, take them out and throw them away.
Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Lauren Kurtz Professional Gardener. Lauren Kurtz.
Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Yes No. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3. Not Helpful 10 Helpful 1. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. To help your kangaroo paw grow back quickly, you can water the base of the plant before you prune it. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Always wear protective gardening gloves when pruning.
Keep cutting tools away from children and pets. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. If you want to keep the flower buds intact for next season, avoid pruning the plant when it is still forming buds. Always use sharp, clean pruning tools. Wash them with soapy water and disinfect them with rubbing alcohol before and after each use.
Dirty, blunt tools can damage the plant and introduce diseases. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 6. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: 4. The first step is to pull away old leaves that are browning off, this gives you a better look into the plant to see where you need to cut back the old flower stem and the leaf fan that the stem came from.
It is advisable to take the leaves off so that they come away from the base, this is done with a bit of a sideways pull. Looking better already after the dead leaves are gone, so it is time to cut out all the old flowers. Push aside any fresh new foliage where needed to get into the base of the old stem.
Cut low down, but not so far down that you cut into the rhizome. Just check through for the old leaf fans that have the dead flower stem in the middle, and cut the whole fan out near the base, one by one. Leave healthy fans that have not yet flowered, as they help feed the plant as it recovers. It took less than ten minutes to do this clean up. Now to fertilise and water the plants, and take all the old cut foliage to the compost bin or worm farm, and then stand back and admire your fresh new kangaroo paw.
The pruning will help stimulate new growth from the rhizome. Once you get new growth happening, it is a good idea to feed the plant again, though if it is around frost time, hold back on feeding with high nitrogen formulations, as these will cause too much soft growth which is easily damaged. When you see or feel the new leaf fans start to thicken up, you know that your new flower stems are forming.
Be sure to water regularly when you see this, as water stress can cause malformed flowers. Shabby looking kangaroo paw.
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