Years ago, the varieties of Kangaroo Paw we grew where always troubled by fungal disease… because our summers are so wet and humid. Not these days. Selective Breeding has produced some exceptional Kangaroo Paws that thrive in our conditions… like the 'Bush' series.

The first one we featured on Prime News (pictured top left) with the gorgeous deep orange blooms is called Bush Spark. The plant itself is quite compact, getting to around 60cm tall. We also saw some other small varieties - Bush Inferno with red flowers and Bush Pearl (pictured right) with its unusual bright pink blooms.

They’re certainly compact and they’re ideal for growing in pots, but if you want to make an impact try planting them in large groups in the garden  like you would with traditional bedding plants. The great thing is they continue flowering for most of the year and they don’t need a lot of water.

There are bigger varieties in the Bush range too. We saw one with yellow flowers called Bush Gold. The stems grow to around 120 cm long so they make an excellent cut flower. Make sure you check out Bush Emerald with its outstanding red/green bicoloured blooms that are black on the tips.

A few things you need to remember when growing Kangaroo Paws - good drainage is essential... So plant them on a mound and incorporate some course river sand into the soil. Also, keep the plants clean by pruning off any spent blooms right down to the base and feed the plants every three months with a native blend of slow release fertiliser.