ANIGOZANTHUS (Anigozan'thus)

DESCRIPTION: These perennials, known as Kangaroo Paws, are natives of western Australia. They can be cultivated in a greenhouse that has a minimum winter temperature of 50 degrees and they can be grown outside in mild, dry climates. These vigorous plants grow from 3 to 4 feet high and spread up to 18 inches. A. manglesii has linear- to lance-shaped, gray green leaves that grow up to 16 inches long. The red and green, tubular flowers are large and covered with down. They grow on narrow stems in the spring and early summer. A. flavidus has long, linear- to lance-shaped leaves and large, yellow-green, tubular, fuzzy flowers that are sometimes stained with red.

POTTING: They should be grown in a mixture of two parts peat moss, one part loam and a sprinkling of sand. Plant them in the spring in a sunny position. The soil should be acidic. Give plenty of water from spring through fall, but hardly any while they are resting in the winter. The flowers can be cut and will dry nicely. Ink spot disease can be a problem.

PROPAGATION: They can be increased by division in the spring, or by seed sown fresh in late summer.

VARIETIES:

A. Manglesii;

A. flavidus;

A. rufus.

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