Banksia/Dryandra Nivea - Honeypot Dryandra understory experiment

[Patmet]

As I have been developing my bonsai over the years I have become very interested in representation of understory plants, particularly in my local south western Australian bushland. I've had this banksia/dryandra nivea (I know it's debatable which is the correct classification) since 2021 from nursery tubestock.

It's always been my intention to grow it as more of an abstract accent kusamono or stand alone shitakusa. I've just kept it in fairly small pots and repot and root prune each year. It has done surprisingly well and has even started to develop a nice little nebari, and rough bark. I get a lot of joy seeing this thrive with the very interesting growth, and this species has a gorgeous flower.

I've just put it into a ceramic pot for the first time. A nice textured shohin pot from Bad Swan Ceramics. I think the glaze and texture suit this plant well. Once it recovers I will do some pruning to see if I can reduce leaf size some more.

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Early days

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[legoman_iac]

What a great result! Makes me think of coral or seaweed bobbing around to the tides.

Curious how you plan to reduce leaf size? Trim the leaves to size, or gradually trim back, or remove all leaves, stone leaves? Just getting into banksia, as part of my journey with natives, lots to learn.

- Daniel

[Kedron Brook]

That really is something special. What Legoman said makes me see it as an Anemone, and it'll withdraw once touched.

[Patmet]

What a great result! Makes me think of coral or seaweed bobbing around to the tides.

Curious how you plan to reduce leaf size? Trim the leaves to size, or gradually trim back, or remove all leaves, stone leaves? Just getting into banksia, as part of my journey with natives, lots to learn.

- Daniel

I'm glad you can see something in it that's pretty cool to hear.

The leaves have already reduced a bit through a combination of a few of those methods you mentioned. As I have been growing it when new shoots form and extend I have been gradually bit by bit cutting the long older leaves at the base of new shoots. I also want to try cutting the older hardened off leaves in half to see what response I get. I think the long wavy leaves give it a nice unique look though as in nature these grow as a mounding bush with extremely long leaves.

[Patmet]

It's begun flowering hopefully the other buds all open.

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[Sno]

That’s pretty special .