A very useful and attractive shrub to tall tree, the silver banksia - B. marginata - occurs naturally throughout south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, and here it grows wild in many areas, providing a valuable food resource for honeyeaters, especially the New Hollands, insects and insectivorous birds. The largest tree here is around 4 metres tall. It sends up multiple suckers from lateral roots. For the most part the bark is rough and dark brown, but this one is paler. I find them an attractive shrub - and they need no looking after at all. Seeds long gone - the yellow-tails are fond of them. Some populations hold seeds in pods which germinate after bushfire. Other populations (such as the those here) germinate readily from seed without fire. The old and new - the flower spike (inflorescence) on the left has unopened buds Didn't notice what look like insect moults in this broken cone until I uploaded pic If you want to feed the birds, grow banksia. An attractive dwarf variety of silver banksia - Mini Marg - can be sourced from Australian nurseries - won't get much taller than a metre and produces lots of flower spikes.
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February 2019
January - Grass Tree
February - Kangaroo Apple - Large-leaf Grevillea March - Silver Banksia April - Drooping Sheoak May - Correa June - Grevillea July - Buddleja August - Sundews September - Native Hibiscus October - Running Postman November - Hakea December - Sticky Hop Bush |