Frost Tolerant Banksias
I thought I would research Banksia species which are suitable for areas where frost is an issue. Some species are frost tolerant once they are established.
Frost Tolerant Banksias
Species without any notation are known to be frost tolerant. Some species are not listed because I have not found reliable information about the frost tolerance.
Banksia aculeata (light to moderate frost)
Banksia ashbyi (tolerant when established)
Banksia attenuata (tolerant when established)
Banksia audax
Banksia baueri (woolly Banksia, Possum Banksia) (tolerant when established)
Banksia baxteri (Birds-nest Banksia) (tolerant when established)
Banksia blechnifolia (light to moderate frost)
Banksia brownii (when established)
Banksia burdettii (when established)
Banksia caleyi (when established)
Banksia candolleana
Banksia dentata
Banksia elderiana (Swordfish Banksia)
Banksia elegans
Banksia grandis (Bull Banksia)
Banksia hookerana (Acorn Banksia)
Banksia laevigata
Banksia lanata
Banksia lemanniana
Banksia leptophylla (tolerates light frost)
Banksia lindleyana (Porcupine Banksia)
Banksia lullfitzii
Banksia marginata (Silver Banksia)
Banksia media (Golden Stalk, Southern Plains Banksia)
Banksia meisneri (moderate frost tolerance)
Banksia menziesii (Firewood Banksia)
Banksia nutans (Nodding Banksia)
Banksia occidentalis (Red swamp Banksia) (Tolerates light frost)
Banksia oreophila
Banksia petiolaris
Banksia pilostylis
Banksia praemorsa (Cut Leaf Banksia)
Banksia prionotes (Acorn Banksia)
Banksia repens (Creeping Banksia)
Banksia robur (Swamp Banksia)
Banksia saxicola
Banksia scabrella (tolerates light frost)
Banksia sceptrum (Sceptre Banksia)
Banksia speciosa (Showy Banksia)
Banksia sphaerocarpa (Round -fruited Banksia)
Banksia tricuspis
thanks for your postings. I live nw of Canberra and on the low side of town and my half acre is a frost sink. I lost so many plants the first year it was depressing as I am trying to build up things for little birds etc. I am deeply suspicious of any labels about frost sensitivity as for me, its all lies, ha ha. even a local nursery here cheerfully sold me tube stock they said they grew in their nearby area. in a hot house perhaps. my bible is a book I stumbled over in my local library, now out of print, that has 3 frost ratings and two snow ratings for things, I think I secured the last copy in Australia through bibliofind but sites like yours are fantastic, thank you.
Hi Leonie,
I also live in a frost sink and lost a few plants to some late frost last winter. I am a little sceptical when it comes to plant labelling. Often the label might be fine in a general way, but does not take in to account what happens in our situations. When I first joined the Australian Plants Society some 35 years ago we had got hold of some booklets put out by ANBG and came to the conclusion that if it grew in Canberra it would grow here and in various other locations in the mid north and uppper north of SA. I was still cautious because I assumed that Canberra had a much higher rainfall than here and have since discovered that it is lower than Adelaide. We have 340mm (13.5 inches) where I live and it is lower than that, about 10 inches, where my sister lives.
I would like to put in a bid for banksia integrifolia (coastal banksia) in your frost tolerant list. Despite its name Plants Online (NSW) lists it as growing here in the NSW tablelands. In Armidale (900-1000m) temperatures occasionally get below -10 (kills many plants in one night), sometimes below -7, and frosts can start in early May and don’t finish until the end of September. Yet the coastal banskia grows happily around the corner and at the university. In its natural form it is a small tree, however I have been growing a dwarf form in my yard for the last 3 years. On the other hand summer temperatures never get above 37 degrees.
We have acres
Goulburn
Hakea Salicifolia go great in our minus 10 frost
Dorothy gorden Grevillea go great as well
Hi Mallee Native Plants,
When you compiled this list, what temperature range do you consider ‘moderate’? I live in Canberra but not in a frost hollow and want to try growing some WA banksias.