Rare Opportunities

OPEN YOUR HEART – AND GARDEN – TO A FEW OF THESE ENDANGERED NATIVES

- Lee Ann Bramwell

You’d never think kaka beak (Clianthus puniceus) were endangered if you could see the ones I’ve grown over the years. They’ve been uniformly splendid, if I do say so myself.

I had one in a pot in the courtyard for a while, where it grew thin and leggy, lucky thing. I yanked it out and planted it on the edge of our native garden, facing north-west, in part shade and rich soil. No, not by design – just because that was the only gap I could see at the time. Then I whacked off most of its branches, leaving just a few spindly ones at the bottom, bid it a fond farewell because I was fairly sure it would die, and left it alone. Three weeks later, it’s lush, green and thick, and has grown about 15 centimetres. Who’s a smartie?

I love kaka beak so I’ve got a couple more on the list, but now I want to try my hand at some other stuff.