Having a lot of luck with Waratah growth in the back  garden. Telopea speciosissima

The species version usually has more serrated edges to the leaves, and has a much slower and weaker growth than the F1 versions – but has much more satisfying and I think spectacular flowers. The sepals seem to be much more coloured and bigger and the flowers take a lot longer to pump up and bloom out.

They do vary from year to year – but generally the species plants will have a single or maybe two blooms while the F1 will be covered in many various sized flowers.

I have about 3 red species plants, and 2 large F1 plants growing and they all follow this pattern.

The alternative coloured versions are very slow to grow and flower. I have 2 whites and 1 yellow. They seem to follow the slow growth and intermittant flowering pattern of the white variety of the species.

These photos from 27-10-2010

This is the Species one with a single bloom. The plant is about 15 years old now.

This is the F1 with about 20 blooms on the one plant which is about 20 times bigger than the species plant above.  The plant is about 12 years old .