Banskia Pod Bell Hanging Christmas Decoration

A unique Australian made  Christmas Decoration. 

Each pod is cut into sections and put on a woodturning lathe. A chisel is then used to shave away the outside of the seed pod revealing its unique pattern. The products are hand sanded with up to three grades of paper, then polished with 100% Australian Canola Oil to enhance the Banksia pod's natural colour. 

Made from a prolific  Banksia called ‘Grandis' from the south of West Australia. It is also commonly known as Bull Banksia or Giant Banksia. This variety grows particularly large and has a very dense centre making it ideal for woodturning.

The tree itself will grow to approximately 10 metres, it produces brilliant yellow flowers followed by the large seed pod. In the extreme temperatures of the Western Australian Bush the pods open up to release seeds for regermination. It takes 24 months from the time the tree produces the flower to the time the Banksia nut reaches maturity and is suitable for picking. The fact that the tree re-grows its pods over and over again makes the Banksia an incredibly renewable resource.

The collection of the Banskia Grandis is highly regulated by the Department of Parks and Wildlife Western Australia. It is Banksia Gifts Australia™ responsibility to ensure that the landscape is undisturbed and that the Banksia trees continue to thrive in the Australian bush. 

The seed pods collected have expelled their seeds and have completed the lifecycle of the plant. They are carefully handpicked to ensure no damage is done to the tree itself or the Australian bushland. The collectors go in to the bush on foot, careful not to disturb any surrounding plants or wildlife and no heavy machinery is used during this process. 

A royalty is paid to the Western Australian Forestry per seed pod, which goes to aid in forest management and conservation. The pickers are designated certain areas to collect the pods, and these are constantly changing to ensure no one area is ever depleted. Only 10% of the Banksia Seed Pods can be collected in any one area at a time. It is also Banksia Gifts Australia™ mission to support other Harvesters in their endeavours to regenerate Australian bushland.

Anthony Hansen, the company founder,  is one of Australia’s leading and award-winning craftsmen. His transition from metal to wood took place in 1983 while he was living in a rainforest environment on the south coast of New South Wales. It was here that Tony fell in love with plant earth's most heartwarming and longest living material - wood.  His ability to transform a piece of wood into a work of art comes from his committed love of the materials he uses, mainly Australian native timber. He has had many successful exhibitions over the years both in Australia and Internationally.