How to grow hakeas: the right variety for your climate zone
Hakeas are often overlooked in our gardens, despite offering some of the most extraordinary flowers, forms and ecological value of any Australian genus. With around 150 species across every state and territory, there is almost certainly a hakea suited to your climate, soil and garden.
Hakeas are less commonly stocked at mainstream nurseries, so many gardeners have never been introduced to them properly. This guide is an attempt to change that.
What makes hakeas different
Hakeas are members of the Proteaceae family, closely related to grevilleas and banksias. The most reliable way to tell a hakea from a grevillea is by the fruit. Grevillea fruits are non-woody and fall from the plant after releasing seed. Hakea fruits are hard, woody follicles that persist on the plant, sometimes for years. In many species, these follicles only open after fire, or after the branch that carries them dies. This is a strategy known as serotiny: the plant holds its seed bank on its own branches, ready to release en masse after disturbance clears the competition.
The flowers themselves are produced in the leaf axils rather than at the tips of stems as in most grevilleas. Many hakeas are also fragrant, which is relatively uncommon in the Proteaceae family.
In terms of soil tolerance, hakeas occupy an interesting position. They develop specialised proteoid root clusters near the soil surface to extract phosphorus from lean soils. But as a group, hakeas tend to be more tolerant of moderate phosphorus levels than grevilleas or banksias. Some eastern Australian species are notably robust in a wide range of soil conditions, making them forgiving for beginners.
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Hakeas by climate zone
The species below are chosen for garden performance, availability and suitability across different Australian conditions. The WA species are noted where they require grafting for reliable cultivation in eastern humid climates.
Temperate gardens (VIC, SA, southern NSW, ACT, TAS)
Temperate gardens suit a wide range of hakeas. The cooler winters, moderate rainfall and well-defined seasons align with the natural cycles of both eastern and many southern WA species. This is the easiest climate zone for growing hakeas, and the range available is correspondingly broad.
Pincushion hakea (Hakea laurina)
The pincushion hakea produces one of the most extraordinary flowers in the Australian flora. It flowers through winter and the display can last for weeks on an established plant. It grows as a large, dense shrub or small tree with attractive blue-green foliage. One note: it has naturalised in parts of eastern Australia and is considered an environmental weed in some regions. Plant it away from nearby bushland, particularly in Victoria and South Australia. See more about plant categories and their trade-offs for context on naturalised species.
Willow-leaved hakea (Hakea salicifolia)
Willow-leaved hakea is one of the most adaptable and underrated screening plants. It grows quickly to form a dense, upright shrub with soft, willow-like foliage and clusters of small, white, lightly fragrant flowers in late winter and spring. It is also the rootstock most commonly used for grafting spectacular WA species, which tells you something about its vigour and tolerance. It handles a wider range of soils than most hakeas, establishes readily and can be shaped with hedging shears or left to its natural form as a large shrub.
Burrendong beauty (Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty')
This hybrid originated at Burrendong Arboretum near Wellington, NSW in 1984, discovered growing among a planting of H. petiolaris and H. myrtoides. The result is a compact, spreading shrub with rigid prickly leaves and bright pink flowers that appear in clusters along the stems through winter and early spring. It is one of the most reliably garden-worthy hakeas available in eastern Australia. It suits temperate, subtropical and most coastal gardens equally well.
Allthingsnative, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
WA hakeas in eastern gardens
Many of the most spectacular hakeas come from south-west Western Australia. In eastern Australia's summer-rainfall zones, these species often decline from Phytophthora root rot in humid conditions. Grafted specimens grown on the robust root system of Hakea salicifolia have changed this significantly. If you want to grow H. bucculenta, H. francisiana or H. multilineata in eastern states, always look for grafted plants at specialist native nurseries.
Mediterranean and south-west WA gardens
South-west Western Australia is the centre of hakea diversity. More species occur here than anywhere else in Australia and the Mediterranean climate is essentially the native habitat of the genus's most spectacular members. Gardeners in Perth and the south-west are closest to the full range of what hakeas can do.
Red pokers (Hakea bucculenta)
Red pokers is among the most visually striking plants in the entire Proteaceae family. Upright cylindrical spikes of vivid red flowers appear from late winter into spring against fine, needle-like foliage. The display is long-lasting and prolific on an established plant. In eastern states with summer rainfall, a grafted specimen is essential.
Grass-leaved hakea (Hakea multilineata)
Grass-leaved hakea produces dense clusters of pink to deep rose flowers along its stems through winter and spring. The narrow, grass-like foliage gives it a light, airy structure for a flowering shrub of this size, making it easier to place in a garden than many of the more robust hakea species. Like H. bucculenta, it benefits from grafting in eastern states but is highly reliable in its natural south-west WA climate and in Mediterranean-condition gardens in South Australia.
Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons
Sea-urchin hakea (Hakea petiolaris)
One parent of the 'Burrendong Beauty' hybrid, sea-urchin hakea produces rounded pincushion flowers in deep pink to mauve. It is adapted to the south-west WA sandplain and performs well in Mediterranean gardens with excellent drainage. It is also more contained in its behaviour than pincushion hakea.
Subtropical and coastal eastern gardens (Qld, northern NSW)
Subtropical gardens are not natural hakea territory. The combination of summer rainfall, humidity and heat creates conditions that challenge many species, particularly those from WA. But a handful of eastern species are genuinely adapted to these conditions and deserve far wider use.
Hooked needlewood (Hakea tephrosperma)
Hooked needlewood is native to a broad arc of inland Australia from Queensland to South Australia, adapted to summer rainfall and warm conditions. It produces clusters of small white to cream flowers in late winter and spring along its stems, with needle-like leaves that help reduce water loss. It is one of the most genuinely reliable hakeas for subtropical and warm inland gardens. The dense spiny foliage provides excellent nesting habitat for small birds.
Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow hakea (Hakea arborescens)
Native to coastal and near-coastal regions of Queensland and northern NSW, yellow hakea is one of the better-adapted species for subtropical conditions. It produces yellow flowers and develops into a substantial screening plant or informal small tree. It is more heat and humidity tolerant than most hakeas and handles periodic summer wet conditions better than WA species. Like all hakeas, it forms woody follicles that remain on the plant until disturbed. Cockatoos will actively work these for seed on established specimens.
Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Arid and semi-arid gardens (inland Australia)
Several hakea species are adapted to Australia's harshest inland conditions, including extreme heat, infrequent and unpredictable rainfall, alkaline or saline soils and exposure. These are among the most drought-resilient plants in the entire genus.
Silver needlewood (Hakea leucoptera)
Silver needlewood is one of the dominant shrubs and small trees of arid Australia's mulga and saltbush landscapes. Its needle-like foliage minimises water loss and the plant anchors itself with deep roots that access moisture well below the surface. Small white flowers appear in spring. It is a habitat plant of enormous value in dry gardens, providing nesting sites in dense spiny growth, seed for birds and structure in an exposed landscape.
Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons
Bird beak hakea (Hakea orthorrhyncha)
Bird beak hakea is named for its distinctive curved seed pods, which remain on the plant and split to reveal seeds only under specific conditions. The flowers are vivid red, tubular and highly attractive to honeyeaters, produced in clusters along the stems in winter and spring. It is adapted to the drier areas of south-west and southern WA, performing well in Mediterranean and dry temperate conditions where drainage is sharp. In the right position it is one of the most striking of all small hakeas.
Consultaplantas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Coastal gardens (all states)
Coastal conditions suit a number of hakeas particularly well. Their tolerance of lean soil and open exposure aligns closely with coastal garden conditions across multiple Australian states. For a full selection of coastal-adapted natives, see our guide to native plants for coastal gardens.
Hairy hakea (Hakea gibbosa)
Hairy hakea is native to coastal heath and scrub in New South Wales and southern Queensland. It produces clusters of small white flowers in spring and develops into a dense, spiny shrub that functions well as a barrier plant or wildlife refuge at the garden's edge. It is one of the more adaptable eastern hakeas and handles sandy coastal soils reliably.
Three-veined hakea (Hakea trineura)
Three-veined hakea is a compact, rounded shrub native to south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales coastal heath. It produces small white to cream flowers in winter and spring and develops into a tidy shrub with broad, flat leaves that display three prominent veins, the distinctive feature that gives it its name. Its moderate size makes it a practical choice for coastal gardens where a smaller, neater hakea is needed. It handles sandy, free-draining soils in exposed coastal positions and provides good nesting habitat for small birds in its dense growth.
Hakeas and birds
Hakeas support birds in at least three distinct ways. Their flowers provide nectar for honeyeaters through autumn and winter when few other plants are flowering. Their dense, spiny foliage provides shelter and nesting sites. And their woody follicles provide seed for cockatoos, particularly yellow-tailed black cockatoos and glossy black cockatoos in eastern Australia. A garden with mature hakeas becomes a very different place for wildlife. See our guide to encouraging native birds through the cooler months for complementary planting ideas.
Planting and establishment
The fundamentals of planting hakeas are consistent across species and climate zones. Drainage is the most critical variable. Before planting, check that water does not pool at the site after heavy rain. If it does, plant on a raised mound or incorporate coarse grit into the planting pocket using a hand trowel or hori-hori to open the soil carefully without excessive disturbance.
Plant in autumn where possible. This allows root establishment through the cooler months before the first summer. Dig only as large a hole as necessary for the root ball, keep the crown at or slightly above surrounding soil level and water in deeply. A terracotta olla placed beside a newly planted hakea delivers slow, deep moisture directly to the root zone during establishment, which is far more effective than surface watering that can encourage shallow roots vulnerable to summer heat.
Avoid phosphorus fertilisers entirely. Like all Proteaceae, hakeas are adapted to low-phosphorus soils and their specialised root clusters can be damaged by excess phosphorus. Our guide to why native plants fail in the first year covers phosphorus sensitivity in detail. A light coarse mulch applied around the plant will moderate soil temperature and reduce moisture loss.
Pruning hakeas
Most hakeas respond well to light tip pruning after flowering. The principle is the same as for grevilleas: always cut back to a side shoot or pair of leaves, always leave green growth below the cut and never cut back into bare, woody growth. A clean pair of bypass secateurs is sufficient for most tip pruning work. For larger stems, long-handled loppers give better reach and leverage without forcing a cut.
The one hard rule: never cut back into bare wood on needle-leaved species. Unlike callistemons, needle-leaved hakeas will not reshoot from old wood and a cut into bare stem can kill that entire branch. Always maintain green foliage below the cut.
Tip pruning young hakeas from the moment they go in the ground is the single most effective thing you can do for long-term plant health. Pinch out the soft growing tips of new shoots regularly through the first two years and you build a dense, branching framework that cannot be replicated by later pruning alone.
Common issues
Phytophthora root rot
This is the most significant disease risk for hakeas, particularly for WA species planted in eastern gardens. Phytophthora is a soil-borne water mould that attacks roots in poorly drained or consistently wet conditions. Symptoms include progressive wilting that does not respond to watering, yellowing foliage on individual branches and rapid dieback. There is no reliable treatment once established; the response is prevention through drainage, raised planting and avoiding wet soil around the crown. See our guide to common issues with native plants for related root health guidance.
Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Slow establishment
Hakeas often appear to do very little in their first growing season. This is normal as the plant is investing energy in root development rather than visible growth. Do not interpret slow top growth as failure. Maintain consistent, deep watering using an olla or controlled watering can and resist the temptation to fertilise. Plants that establish slowly in the first year almost always accelerate dramatically in their second.
Spiny foliage
Needle-leaved hakeas can be genuinely uncomfortable to work around. This is by design as the spines are a defence against grazing. Wear thick thorn-proof gloves when pruning or planting near spiny species. The dense growth is also an asset — planted at a garden boundary, spiny hakeas are among the most effective deterrents for predator entry that a native garden strategy can offer.
The wildlife case for planting hakeas now
Hakeas offer wildlife value that few other garden plants can match across multiple dimensions: winter nectar when it is most scarce, nesting refuge in dense spiny growth, seed for cockatoos and other granivores and habitat complexity at multiple layers of the garden. Our guide to creating a wildlife garden covers how to think about these functions in combination.
The pincushion and sphere flowers are unlike anything else in cultivation. The fragrance of many species at close range is unexpected and remarkable. And the sheer diversity across 150 species means there is no single type of hakea.
The moment more gardeners discover what hakeas can actually do, the more popular they are likely to become. For a seasonal maintenance guide to help keep your native plantings at their best, including hakeas, see our climate zone guide.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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