Kangaroo Paw Fever

No, it's not a new virus; it's my new passion. I've fallen in love with this exotic native plant. (Australians would say this is a contradiction; exotic to them, botanically anyway, means a non-native plant) And I keep finding more must-have varieties to add to my collection.
I took the photo on one of our sunny winter days so that the shadow of the flower stem appears on the wall behind it.


The recent focus on using native plants in the garden has resulted in a plethora of new kangaroo paw cultivars hitting the market. The flowers now come in many colours from deepest burgundy to silvery-white, or a combination like this vivid red/black/emerald scheme. Some, including this one, have slate-blue hues in the foliage, which is in my opinion an improvement on the standard green. This particular variety is called 'Royal Cheer'