Episode: #5 30/09/2006
Presenter: Kim Syrus

Along the Main South Road between Myponga and Yankalilla is the huge Geraldton Wax plantation. Over 700 bushes all in full bloom and it looks absolutely spectacular. Originally planted to be harvested for cut flower export, this has since stopped, leaving rows and rows of brilliant bushes to be enjoyed only by those driving past.

Geraldton Wax is fantastic in bringing colour and texture to the garden. They can be successfully grown in Adelaide however, because the plants originate in the sandy soils of Western Australia, having a well drained soil in your garden is vital. Damp ground will cause root rot, and will kill even an established plant.

Choose an open sunny position. The windswept hillside is the perfect spot for the plants. Avoid shaded damp areas in your yard where rotting roots will be a problem. Prepare the ground by turning it over and adding gypsum at around 1kg per square metre. This will open the soil up and, importantly, increase drainage. Adding more soil to build the bed up will also help with the drainage.

There are a number of really good varieties to choose from like the Purple Pride, pale pink ?Della?, the lavender toned ?Coorow Purple? or the apple blossom hued ?Early Mist?.

With the ground well prepared, plant your Geraldton Wax and water in well. Follow up with regular watering, which is really important to help establish the plant. To encourage flowers, feed your Geraldton wax with a high Potassium fertilizer. This is best done in Autumn before blooming.

Stems are generally picked when around a third of the blooms have opened. They are tied into bunches and then packed ready for sale at the flower market. Geraldton Wax flowers are used as fillers in floral arrangements as their small blooms and thin leaves are the ideal background accompaniment to help really show off a simple bunch of flowers.

If left alone, the plants can get quite large but it also gets very woody and that reduces its flowering. To avoid this, keep your plant cut back. Pruning is done after flowering. Don?t be afraid to trim the bush back hard. Use some shears to shape up; even a pair of loppers might be needed as this will encourage lots of fresh growth and flowers for the next season.