Menziesii is also referred to as Port Wine Banksia or Raspberry Frost due to its amazing color and Firewood Banksia due to its quick burning properties. It typically blooms during autumn and into winter. Each spike is composed of up to 6,000 individual flowers, and yet only a few become filled with seeds. The seeds are enclosed in sacs attached to an indestructible cone until it’s burnt.
This spectacular banksia is thought to have a special flower essence. Australian Aboriginal people would use menziesii in their rituals and ceremonies for its healing capabilities for courage. Courage to help one release pain and to move ahead triumphantly, with renewed energy. This flower essence parallels with The Language of Flowers and the symbol of Protea - Diversity and Courage.
Whether flaunted alone or showcased with other florals, menziesii never fails to put on an amazing display.
Banksia menziesii, also called Menzies' banksia, firewood banksia, port wine banksia or Raspberry Frost. Because every fall arrangement needs a robust yet stunning bloom like this one! The flower spikes are showy and vibrant, dark pink-red or raspberry in color that become intermingled with yellow as they mature. Other colors like bronze and greenish-yellow menziesii exist as well. Each bloom is composed of up to 6,000 individual flowers (inflorescence) and set against a backdrop of chic twisted grey-green leaves.
Autumn days deserve a little extra vigor, lots of great textures and interesting shapes. Menziesii combined with an array of other proteas and florals radiate a homey spontaneity and seasonal splendor.
Just in time for the spring gardening season, a collection of protea seeds are now available. Ideal for plant enthusiasts and gardeners, these protea, telopea, banksia and leucospermum seeds are prefect for those of you who have been wondering if protea will grow in your gardens. Read on to learn how to cultivate some of our favorites.
Proteas like full sun, ample wind circulation, and acidic, free-draining soil. It is best to stay out of areas where temperatures are known to remain below 28 degrees for an extended period of time.
How to Plant:
- Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours.
- Then sow in a tray of well-drained soil, decomposed granite is ideal. Adding perlite and sand to the seed compost improves drainage.
- Once sown, cover the seeds with about 1/4” of sand.
- Germination takes 3-4 weeks at around 60-70°F, and up to several months in cooler conditions. Let the germination temperature drop naturally at night.
- Transplant young seedlings into a container with well-drained compost being careful to avoid root disturbance.
- Seedlings should remain in their container for a year before planting in the garden.
Our selection includes:
Menziesii is also referred to as Menzies' banksia, firewood banksia, port wine banksia or 'Raspberry Frost' – all very suitable nicknames for this fabulous flower.
Menziesii blooms in the fall when the reddish flowers begin to open from the base. Gradually taking their time, sometimes taking weeks, row after row of flowers open until the flowering reaches the top of the cone, looking like splendid candles on a Christmas tree.
This banksia’s essence certainly seems to parallel with The Language of Flowers and the symbol of Protea – Courage and Diversity! Menziesii, not only is a beautiful flower, but strong and powerful one as well. And when it comes to diversity… it looks fabulous mixed with other flowers and foliage.
There’s only one spot in the world where all 79 species of Banksia in existence grow and that’s in Kevin and Cathy Collins’ delightful five-hectare garden in Mount Barker, Western Australia. Kevin, who is also known as the ‘Banksia Man’, owns and runs The Banksia Farm in this sleepy wine-growing region of Australia. Kevin claims, “This was never a planned business, it’s a hobby gone mad.”
Kevin educates everyone from visiting school kids to botanists. “I don’t have a day’s botanical training,” he says. “I was just over in America lecturing on it.” He is the co-author of books on botany and is valued as an expert on Western Australia’s wildflowers in particular. As well as holding the most recently found banksia, the garden also has many of the world’s species of dryandra, which are closely related.
Kevin says the climate of Mount Barker has helped them grow all 79 species of banksia. The other thing that assisted them is the huge variety of soils. “We have everything from pH 4.5 to 6.5, and by moving them around we were able to mix and match and grow them all.”
Bronze Menziesii
Oak Leaved Banksia
Occidentalis
Coccinea
Menziesii
Coastal Banksia
Kevin is quite animated as he explains why he loves banksias. “Many are killed by fire, and yet they’ve been around for 50-70 million years, he says. “They’re so diverse. Some need fire and follow-up rains to release seeds. And historically they’ve been used for so much.”
