A close up of one plant would be more helpful It looks like you are watering with a seeping type hose which would give very little water in the times you mention. Dig down along the hose and just see how moist the soil really is. Al

I find them difficult to grow. They always get black tips on the ends of their foliage.

That said, you can cut off the spent blooms now and the plants might look better. There is a strong likelihood that they are being cooked by the metal fence, but that would not explain why the others are looking sad.

Sorry I can't help you with water advice. I think the plant likes to be drenched in a spot with excellent drainage, then left to dry out a bit. My mom has one on a bank that does well but all of her other ones have died.

Your fences are beautiful, and your design goes well with them. These dang plants sometimes mess with our plans!

Renee

My experience agrees with the cultural information on the San Marcos growers site--read through this and see if that helps at all. I've found the species A. flavidus is much the easiest--the hybrids are more difficult.

Do not feel bad. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the right plant in the right place. That is part of the fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: A lot of info on Kangaroo Paws including cultivation

Mine have recently finished the flowering season (about 3 months ago). are they just done flowering? in that case trim the stocks back to the ground, and let the energy go to the foliage.

I live in So. Cal and I cannot for the life of me grow these. I've tried different areas, different times of the year and they will grow a little and then disappear. I've put them in Full sun and partial sun, watered every few days and they still dont last me 6 months. Perhaps I've tried only 'hybrids'? It amazes me that I can see them many places, but I dont know what Im doing wrong. Everything else I plant works.

You're in good company, skrip. I've planted quite a few, and the only one that has survived is barely hanging on.
Down at the Marie Callender's on Tampa in Northridge there's a thirty foot long raised planter with tall deep red ones that bloom like mad. Sigh.

so sad no one knows the secret to these guys! I have dying Kangaroo paw too. I think anyway.

{{gwi:545851}}

That's a nice healthy kangaroo paw, sterotypeq.

The flowers are done blooming and should be cut off. It will get new ones in the spring.
Renee

No real secret to growing the easiest hybrids with Anigozanthus flavidus parentage, but they do prefer both good drainage and regular warm season irrigation. In habitat they even well tolerate seasonal winter flooding and summer wild fires. Full sun, good air circulation, planting out in cooler months to minimize drought stress,(typical nursery container mixes for them very quickly dry out if you aren't adequately wetting the root ball, and probably accounts for most plant deaths). They are extremely easy once established, but don't crowd the foliage or insist on overhead spray irrigation which encourages ink spot disease.

No real secret to growing the easiest hybrids with Anigozanthus flavidus parentage, but they do prefer both good drainage and regular warm season irrigation. In habitat they even well tolerate seasonal winter flooding and summer wild fires. Full sun, good air circulation, planting out in cooler months to minimize drought stress,(typical nursery container mixes for them very quickly dry out if you aren't adequately wetting the root ball, and probably accounts for most plant deaths). They are extremely easy once established, but don't crowd the foliage or insist on overhead spray irrigation which encourages ink spot disease.

LOL! One of my favorite plants and if you think they are tough to grow in SoCal, you ought to try in the PNW!! Actually, I grow them in containers and they do surprisngly well and even overwinter for me. Not much of a label came with them but I believe they are A. rufus (dark red with a lime green interior), which I understand is maybe one of the more cold tolerant species

I bought them as orange and after one season they came back red. What can I do to make them orange again???