One of my great delights over the past few years has become gardening, and unaccustomedly I’ve taken on numerous challenges, including growing plants from seeds, and the kangaroo paws I wanted to bloom and flourish more than any other plant have started to flower.
I picked up dozens of different types of seeds when I last visited Australia in September-October 2022.
I started growing them in February 2023. I’ve now got about half-a-dozen blooming in the garden, either in pots or planted in the ground. All but one is orange.
Many of the seeds germinated and propagated, but of the seedlings on the kangaroo paw, hardenbergia and dwarf wattle reached maturity.
The hardenbergia were the first to flower, but the ones I really wanted to bloom were the kangaroo paw, mainly because of the connection to the website and its marsupial theme!
So much thought has gone into the flowers, so the delight in seeing some bloom has been absolutely incredible.
Thinking the kangaroo paw were expensive and exotic, I gave seedlings to many people in the neighborhood last year. My next-door neighbor’s plant is starting to bloom a rich, red color! We delight in sharing its progress.
I’ve also handed over flowers to other mates, mostly Aussies, hoping to share the joy. These are almost all from having divided the plants in the winter this year.
Seeing some gorgeous plants in full bloom and retailing for a pittance left me feeling a bit guilty for having imposed a burden on others. My thoughts were generated by kindness and a desire to share the joy our garden has brought me.
If anybody would like a kangaroo paw, I still have many left over, though I am less confident of their likelihood of blooming than I had been a month ago. Please get in touch if you’d like one.
Otherwise, the weekend was eventless. On Saturday, I heavily pruned our bottlebrush because it had finished flowering, and also one of the grevillea because it hasn’t flowered. I waited more than three hours to get my hair cut and the day was effectively over.
Sunday, I went on my longest ride for a long while, taking the Death Machine on a 50-km jaunt. I repotted a couple of plants in the afternoon and then Mrs. Kangaeroo and I enjoyed a delightful Italian dinner.
Fought my lazier side urging me to stay glued to the idiot box and went for a ride this morning ahead of what’s looming as another busy, demanding week as I juggle one job where the Company is desperately trying to force me out with job-seeking hindered by the reputation of a sordid past.
And was rewarded with a return home to the flourishing garden. It may not last much longer as the rainy season doesn’t feel too far away.
Tracking the Kangaroo Paw Life Cycle
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