Anigozanthos 'Bush Dawn' (Yellow Kangaroo Paw) - This evergreen perennial forms clumps to 1 to 2 feet wide with bright green strap-shaped leaves to 2 to 3 feet tall. From spring until fall ( (nearly year-round along coast) emerge the bright yellow tubular flower buds that flare open at tips like a paw. The flowers are held on branching 5- to 6-foot-tall stems that are covered with downy yellow hairs.
Plant in a sunny and open position in the garden in well-drained soils. Irrigate regularly and fertilize in spring (not heavily and keep Phosphorus on the low side). Fans only flower once and need to be cleaned out after the flowering period so remove the old leaves down to as low as possible at the end of a season. Care should be exercised that the new emerging fans are not damaged. Hardy to about 25-30 degrees F. Attracts hummingbirds.
The genus was first named by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière 1800 when he collected and described the type species, Anigozanthos rufus, which he had collected during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition to Southwest Australia in 1792 though he did not provide a meaning for this name in his description. Several botanical texts list it as a combination of the Greek words 'anoigo' meaning "to expand" and 'anthos' meaning a "flower" which would be in reference to the the flower being split but others speculated it to be the combination of the Greek words 'anisos' meaning "unequal" and 'anthos' meaning a "flower" in reference to the irregular corolla. It was hybridized by the late Merv Turner who bred his plants to be ink spot resistant. We have been growing this beautiful yellow cultivar since 1985.
The information about Anigozanthos 'Bush Dawn' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |