Flannel Flowers (Actinotus helianthi) from Seed

Clusters of flannel flower seed

Fill a pot with moist peat moss and sand with a small quantity of seed raising mixture. Place seed on top and firm down with a piece of flat wood. Water well, then place small sticks and leaves on top and burn for approximately ten minutes. You might have to persevere with the fire. The top of the pot will melt a bit too.

Leave the fire remains on the mix and stand pot in a dry and warm position. Water sparingly after two days, then again in another couple of days. Make sure you don't water very much, just enough to keep the mixture damp. After about a month the seeds should germinate. Before the second set of leaves grow too long transplant into tubes.

The seedlings seem to have a long tap root, so early planting out is essential. You could have a massed planting in a tub.

From the newsletter of the Mid North Coast Group of the Australian Plants Society, June-July 2001. Author unknown.

Australian Plants online - 2006
Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants