Australian Kangaroo Paw and Bottlebrush now available here

Native to Australia, Kangaroo Paw is a new arrival in local nurseries. A red and green variety is the basis of one of Ian White's Australian Bush Flower Essences. It helps people who need to shift their focus away from themselves in order to become more aware of the needs of others.

The kangaroo paw is emblematic of Western Australia and comes in many colours. The fuzzy ones seen in the picture taken in 99 Nursery in Surrey are slightly different from the one used to make the essence. Recently, I spotted another Australian plant, bottlebrush, in Cedar Rim Nursery in Langley. The essence made from this plant helps to brush away unhealthy threads that keep us clinging to the past. It also helps to promote healthy mother-child bonding.

These plants are immediately noticeable as they are so obviously not native to this region. They come from beyond the faunal boundary proposed by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in the 1800s. Possibly related to tectonic movement, the Wallace Line line demarcates ecozones in the southern ocean.