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The Protea family is an exciting and diverse group of plants, some of which are certainly
hardy enough for western Washington, while many more remain untried so far. For anyone
attempting to grow them, it should be noted that fertilizers containing Phosphorus
should be avoided, as this may kill the plants. See
Proteas in Seattle
for further information.
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Banksia marginata - SILVER BANKSIA |
$14 |
I guarantee this Banksia is made of pure silver! Well, not quite, but it's almost as good. This species is usually a shrub to about 5 - 8' tall, but it may attain the stature of a small tree. The green leaves are comparatively small (under 2") with light serrations, and silvery underneath. Yellow flowers may appear on tall cylindrical "cones" in winter. Silver Banksia is very easy to grow. It will be happiest in full sun on sandy or silty soil, and does not like clay or very rich soils. It is quite drought tolerant but will also not object to moderate summer irrigation. It can also be grown in a large container for many years. This plant was shared with us by Brian Brown from his garden in Bremerton, Washington, where it has remained unscathed by the severe cold events of November 2006, December 2008 and December 2009 - it's now about 10' tall. We also know that this plant is originally of Tasmanian origin, suggesting it is well adapted to a cool climate. Hardiness once established is certainly somewhere below 20°F; hopefully, further testing will enable us to figure out just how much lower.
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Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Valley Queen' |
$14 |
This very showy cultivar differs from the basic form of this species in having rusty orange flowers in more prolific, large, compound racemes, thus covering the plant much more throughly than the regular form (though the new growth still sticks up above the flowers). Also, the leaves are rounder and a little bit less silvery and the plant (in my garden anyways) has a more open, spreading habit to about 6' tall by 9' wide. Like the regular form, it has done well in my garden with no care, though it does seem to be just a touch less hardy. Hardy to about 10°F and possibly lower.
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Hakea salicifolia - WILLOW-LEAF HAKEA |
$14 |
The quest for hardy Hakeas has uncovered a few that aren't prickly, including this species from the mountains of New South Wales and Queensland. As the name suggests, the leaves are larger and willow-like with bronzy new growth maturing to deep green. White flowers appear in the leaf axils on mature plants. A vigorous, hardy, very adaptable and easily grown shrub, this species adapts easily to a variety of sites. Hardy to at least 10°F.
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Leucadendron galpinii - HAIRLESS CONEBUSH NEW Spring 2010! |
$14 |
This upright shrub has exquisite fine, soft foliage. Flowers may look different depending on whether you get a male or female - my plants are unsexed (like in MacBeth). Yet contrary to the common name, my seedlings have hairs - well go figure. (I won't speculate on any connection between this observation and the preceding sentence.) Despite originating at rather low elevations, this species seems to be able to handle temperatures around 22°F.
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Leucadendron laureolum - GOLDEN CONEBUSH |
$14 |
This South African shrub to 6' is the parent of many attractive Leucadendron hybrids, including some of the hardier ones. With soft, somewhat silky foliage and appealing bracts, it looks great all year and is generally one of the easiest Leucadendrons to grow. It could be used in a container where it can spend most of the time outdoors to be brought in during periods of heavy frost. Hardy to about 25°F.
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Protea
It's hard to say just what it takes to please Proteas. In general, they haven't been frost-hardy enough for Pacific Northwest gardens, even those that come from high montane areas and are subjected to snow and cold in winter! Like other South African Proteaceae, it seems a lot of the hardier ones can handle temperatures down to about the 20 - 25°F range; then beyond that, they're dead. But few of the hardier species have been trialed extensively (some not at all) - furthermore, it may be that cultural controls can improve hardiness, including full sun, really super drainage, and a couple years of getting established before exposure to cold temperatures. An ideal situation might be a sandy, very sharply drained soil with a soaker hose buried at least a foot deep to provide water every couple of weeks in the summer. Consider some means of protecting them from hard frost and rain for at least the first winter or two. If you have a sheltered garden, you may get years of enjoyment from them - and who knows, you may discover some to be hardier than expected. They can also be grown in containers for a long time, provided a very sandy growing media with not too much organic matter, and the occasional feed with an organic source of nitrogen. So, here are a few to experiment with: take a chance and have fun! All are evergreen with superb foliage and beautiful flowers, which are produced on young plants if grown in a large container.
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Protea grandiceps - PEACH PROTEA |
$16 |
This compact, rounded shrub grows to 6' in the wild. It has fantastic, large, silver-blue, succulent-esque leaves and peach or coral-red flowers usually produced in the autumn. Native to drier soils on snowy mountaintops from about 3,800 to 5,000' in the Cape Region, it may be quite frost-hardy once established, given excellent drainage and as much winter sun as possible.
[Bad picture at right doesn't really do the plant justice.]
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Protea magnifica - QUEEN PROTEA |
$16 |
This dense shrub of variable growth habit has large fuzzy leaves and beautiful large, cupped, bearded flowers in a variety of colors. Of high montane origin in the Cape Region (from about 4,000 to 6,000' - one source says 8,000' but I don't think western South Africa even has any mountains that tall!), in theory it may be quite cold-hardy, but it certainly requires excellent drainage and must be kept on the sunny side in winter. Fabulous, and worth any effort!
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Protea neriifolia - NARROW-LEAF SUGARBUSH |
$14 |
This is one of the easiest Proteas to grow: it is very vigorous and will flower generously in a container. The flowers are usually produced in summer, and are mostly orange with fuzzy black margins and tips. In the wild it may reach 8' tall. Although it will tolerate light frost, I would say this species is somewhat less cold-hardy than the others I offer. Native to the Cape Region, its altitudinal range in the wild extends from sea level to about 4,200'.
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Protea punctata - WATER SUGARBUSH |
$16 |
This species from the Cape Region ought to be one of the better ones for cooler gardens with a Mediterranean climate. Not only does it occur at rather high altitudes from about 4,000 to 6,200', it also prefers moister sites on south-facing slopes (which, of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, are the cooler and shadier spots). To me this suggests adaptability to the Northwest's climate, though we don't know just how hardy it is yet. Beautiful lilac flowers occur in late summer and fall, though they are smaller than those of some species. In the wild it may reach 12' tall.
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