Plant Library

Other Names:  Cat's Paw

Description:

This selection produces tall, multi-branched stems of rich, deep red-burgundy flowers from spring until late summer; flowers open to reveal a green interior; a great color addition to garden beds, borders or containers

Ornamental Features

Red Cross Kangaroo Paw features unusual racemes of dark red flowers with burgundy overtones and grayish green centers rising above the foliage from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its sword-like leaves remain green in color throughout the year. The brick red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Red Cross Kangaroo Paw is an open herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Red Cross Kangaroo Paw is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Red Cross Kangaroo Paw will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 6 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Red Cross Kangaroo Paw is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.