Real World Gardener Two Best Banksias are Plant of the Week

PLANT OF THE WEEK <p>Banksia ericifolia and Banksia spinulosa: what's the difference?</p> Scientific Name: Banksia spinulosa <p style="font-weight:400;">Common Name: Hairpin Banksia</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Family: Proteaceae</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Plant height: Mostly a multi-stemmed lignotuberous shrub. Varies greatly in height 1 -3 m </p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Position: Full sun, frost hardy including Canberra winter frosts.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Leaves:long and narrow, 3-8 cm long by 2-7 mm wide, and variably toothed. Leaf margins often recurved which is an adaptation to dry environments.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Flowering:The flower spikes range from 10-20 cm in length. A spike may contain hundreds or thousands of individual flowers, each of which consists of a tubular perianth made up of four united tepals, and one long wiry style.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Position: Prefers to grow in the open where it makes a nice rounded shrubs.</p> Shade makes it spindly. <p style="font-weight:400;">Banksias are an import source of nectar during autumn and winter when flowers are scarce.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Scientific Name: Banksia ericifolia</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Common Name: Heath Banksia</p> <p>Family: Proteaceae</p> <p>Plant height: Mostly a multi-stemmed shrub. Varies greatly in height 3-6 m</p> <p>Position: Full sun, frost hardy including Canberra winter frosts.</p> <p>Leaves: The linear dark green leaves are small and narrow, 9–20 mm long and up to 1 mm wide, generally with two small teeth at the tips. </p> <p>The leaves are crowded and alternately arranged on the branches..<a href='https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2CI2cfMU3ag/YMMadpkkQ3I/AAAAAAAAkpU/HeUtb1aXZEg-4ij9aRJaDMn9KgZaD40BACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Banksia%2Bericifolia.jpg'></a></p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Flowers: cylindrical flower spikes are quite large at 4-6 cm wide and up to 30 cm long</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Differences: Banksia ericifolia has much n