Buy Banksia robur

The swamp Banksia adds a tropical look to any garden with its Plumeria like leaves and exotic flowers. It is tolerant of periodic, soggy soils but can also handle periods of dry as well.

The genus Banksia is named for botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyages to the south seas and was the first to document much of Australia's unique flora. This group of Proteaceous plants, most of which are outstanding ornamentals for gardens, consists mostly of shrubs, but some also have an interesting prostrate habit. B. robur, a dramatic species from eastern Australia, has leathery, stiff, serrated leaves that may reach 40” long on a plant to 6' tall and wide. After a couple years of growth, flowers appear on huge brown “cones,” looking like nothing else in the plant kingdom! One of the most adaptable Banksias, and one of the easiest to grow, this species will tolerate wet soil with ease and seems to thrive with summer water and heat, though it does not really need a lot of heat. It thrives in the Australian National Botanic Gardens where temperatures as low as 15 °F may occur (they note, however, that some protection may be necessary for young plants), but its adaptability to cold winters may be limited in climates where the temperature occasionally does not rise above freezing during the day. If heavy frost damage occurs, it will regrow from the base. Evergreen.