Australian actinotus helianthi or flannel flowers

[happypalms]

We grow flannel flowers for the cut flower industry as a hobby. And you need a continuous supply of seeds for new plants each season. They will live for about 3 seasons or more but for cut flowers you want the plants in the ground each season. A fantastic native flower to my area highly sought after you need a license to harvest and sell the flowers and plants. Becoming more rare as they get picked by people poaching them. You used to see the growing alongside the roads near the beach but less and less each year some places completely wiped out they only grow in certain places and with climate change and habitat loss due to fires and other various reason it’s one flowers that is becoming extremely rare in the wild.

[Jonathan]

I've seen these a few times in NSW, near Mungo Brush and around Minnie Waters/Wooli area, but like you say, never common. Beautiful plant, should be more widely grown.

[happypalms]

On 10/18/2024 at 8:18 AM, Jonathan said:

I've seen these a few times in NSW, near Mungo Brush and around Minnie Waters/Wooli area, but like you say, never common. Beautiful plant, should be more widely grown.

Minnie waters hey just over the back of my property as the crow flies. My grandparents owed one the shacks right on the beach there. Been going there ever since I was a baby fantastic part of the world. Rps are using pictures of the flannel flowers from their i sent them on there website have a look some great shots. Nowadays with mobile phones you gotta be pretty game to poach the flowers on the side of the roads. But they are slowly disappearing from red rock village due  to poaching. They should be more widely grown seed is difficult to obtain and rare we had  to go to a commercial grower to get our seeds and he was very reluctant to part with them. During Covid my wife  sent him emails with her flower obsession story and her love of native flowers. Then we had to obtain a national parks license to grow and sell them which they dont hand them out easily it was only through love and dedication to native plants that we now have them.

[Jonathan]

11 hours ago, happypalms said:

Minnie waters hey just over the back of my property as the crow flies. My grandparents owed one the shacks right on the beach there. Been going there ever since I was a baby fantastic part of the world. Rps are using pictures of the flannel flowers from their i sent them on there website have a look some great shots. Nowadays with mobile phones you gotta be pretty game to poach the flowers on the side of the roads. But they are slowly disappearing from red rock village due  to poaching. They should be more widely grown seed is difficult to obtain and rare we had  to go to a commercial grower to get our seeds and he was very reluctant to part with them. During Covid my wife  sent him emails with her flower obsession story and her love of native flowers. Then we had to obtain a national parks license to grow and sell them which they dont hand them out easily it was only through love and dedication to native plants that we now have them.

Wow! I had no idea that they had that level of protection. Fantastic that you are able to grow them and potentially help boost the population. Nice work. 

[happypalms]

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

Wow! I had no idea that they had that level of protection. Fantastic that you are able to grow them and potentially help boost the population. Nice work. 

Yes and they can rock up anytime and inspect where you are growing them as well. National parks are very strict if I don’t do the correct paperwork no license each bunch of flowers has to be tagged with a number. I cannot sell anything unless tagged. Even the florist shops have people come and ask are they licensed growers where did you get them they will tell the authorities real quick. National parks are up there with customs. 

[Jonathan]

Probably a good thing eh? 

I always bitch and moan about our quarantine rules down here in Tas but it certainly works in our favour...no fruit flies, myrtle rust, fire blight, veroa mite, etc, etc....just not enough palm species!

[happypalms]

32 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Probably a good thing eh? 

I always bitch and moan about our quarantine rules down here in Tas but it certainly works in our favour...no fruit flies, myrtle rust, fire blight, veroa mite, etc, etc....just not enough palm species!

I respect our bio security laws but when they hold my seeds for six weeks then say they have mould on them it’s there fault for sure customs only want there cut. Bio security is there for obvious reasons but political correctness gone wrong put on extra staff I say.