Family: Papilionaceae
Common Name: Parrot-pea

The bright yellow, orange or red flowers of these Australian native shrubs add eye-catching colour to gardens and greenhouses. In frost-prone climates, they are grown in a cool green-house or conservatory.

Species

These are not easily available outside their native Australia.

D. glaberrima, heath parrot-pea, is a spreading shrub, to 1 m (3 ft), with yellow flowers, purplish brown in the centre.

D. hispida, red parrot-pea, is a twiggy shrub, to 2 m (6 ft), with fine, needle-like foliage and clusters of yellow and brown flow­ers.

D. retorta, eggs and bacon, is a rounded or upright shrub, to 1 m (3 ft), with twisted foliage and red-centered, yellow flowers. When in flower, it is extremely colourful.

D. sericea, showy parrot-pea, grows to 1 m (3 ft), with small leaves and dense, terminal spikes of red and yellow flowers.

Cultivation

Outdoors, Dillwynia likes a sandy soil with good drainage and a partially shaded situation. Under glass, grow in pots of soil-based potting compost, in maximum light, with an airy atmosphere.

Climate

Zone 9.