Easy friends
Waratah is the state flower of New South Wales, and yes, you can grow this icon of Australia in the south of New Zealand.
There’s a Tasmanian waratah ( Telopea truncata) well suited to our refreshingly cooler climate. The flowers of this erect, freely branching, multistemmed shrub are not as big as those of Telopea speciosissima but there are more of them.
I have two plants, side by side, on the front drive near the entrance. I purchased one 40 years ago; the other I grew from seed given to me by an Australian visitor. They are in sun for about two-thirds of the day and are planted in unmodified, light, poor soil close to macrocarpa trees. They are 4m tall now, striking in appearance when covered in flowers from late spring to early summer. I’m so proud of them.
The crimson Telopea conflorescence – that’s the technical term for many flowers in one – is composed of the fleshy, inwardly curving perianth, style and stigma of each individual flower, all encircled by flattened bracts. From this intricate symmetry, in the fullness of its bloom, a new leaf stalk will sprout at an odd angle from right inside the flower.
The botanical name telopea comes from the Greek telopos.
The word means seen from afar. The common name, waratah, is the Aboriginal name which was adopted by the early settlers from Britain.
In nature, this member of the protea family grows in acidic soils at 600m to 1200m, in alpine or coniferous heaths. I have seen it growing in the wild on a field trip to Tasmania. Its distribution is sporadic and occasional, so coming across it in full bloom is memorable. It flourishes in western Tasmania but is absent from the drier east.
In the garden it requires reasonable moisture, good drainage and mild temperatures. Don’t give it phosphates; you’ll kill it. I have never fed my plants. Don’t deadhead spent flowers; new growth emerges from inside the flower.
Many Australian plants are stimulated to regrow either from seed or from lignotubers after the bushfires which are part of their ecology.
When I sowed the waratah seeds from my friend, I prepared an exceptionally well-drained seed mix, then burnt some dry autumn leaves on top.
I have two Telopea ‘Burgundy’, which is an older, New Zealand-raised hybrid between the Victorian Telopea oreades and Telopea speciosissima. Now longtime residents of the garden, they have grown tall and somewhat gangly, perhaps in response to too much shade. It does mean that the flowers are at eye level, as seen from the raised staircase to the South Seas Garden, where their unusual beauty is much admired.
Last spring I acquired a new plant which I am sure is destined to be a star of the garden: Telopea ‘Bridal Gown’. It has ivory flowers with a delicious green tinge to the buds. I am so excited by this plant that I have ordered two more. I will try one of them in half sun and the other in shade.
In Australia, this plant has been renamed Tealopea ‘Shady Lady White’ because there it does require full shade or the flowers would burn. Our sun is not as harsh as the famous Australian sunshine, so we will see how these shady ladies do in their different positions.
That’s why gardening’s so much fun: there’s always something new to try. ✤