Proteas

Proteas are one of Nature’s true marvels of creative floral masterpieces! How can you not love elegant, colourful, feathery flowers? Pink Crown is a small evergreen shrub with an amazing autumn-winter display of soft, pale pink and cream flowers, that look spectacular on the shrub or as a cut flower. Sensational as a stand-alone specimen in the garden! Prune lightly after flowering to promote a bushier growth habit.

Soil: Well-drained soil. If you don't have well-drained soil, create a mound to facilitate planting
Conditions: Full sun. Drought, heat and coastal tolerant. Provide shelter in colder climates.
Size: Height 1.5-1.8m x width 1.5-1.8m

Australis Ruby is a compact protea with beautiful pink-red flowers fringed with black and white feathery tips. Flowering from winter through summer, it is a visual masterpiece attracting native birds to the garden. Plant as a feature, shape into a low hedge or mass plant for a stunning effect. Australis Ruby is perfect for pots and smaller gardens and ideal as a centrepiece for the home as a cut flower.

Soil: Well-drained soil. If you have clay soils, use mounds for planting to facilitate drainage. Be sure to use a native soil mix when planting - exotic potting mix or exotic fertiliser will kill them.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade. Moderately frost, coast and drought tolerant.
Size: Height 1.5m x width 1.5m

Bred to be the champion of the classic heavy, clay-based Australian soils, Southern Cross is up to the challenge to survive against the odds! Thriving in heavy soils, Southern Cross displays beautiful musk-pink blooms with white feathery tips throughout winter and into the early spring. Proteas are prized for their long vase life, making them a florist’s dream and a stunning addition to bouquets and floral arrangements. Southern Cross is ideal for water-wise gardens - its low-maintenance needs make it a favourite for gardeners seeking beauty without the fuss.

Soil: Australian soils
Conditions: Full sun. Drought, coastal and frost hardy.
Size: Height 1.8m x width 1.5m

Juliet is a compact protea with an amazing winter-spring display of striking coppery-pink flowers with a hint of white feathering. The showy flowers look impressive in the garden as a feature, mass planting, or cut flowers. Juliet is ideal for small areas, rockeries and containers.

Soil: Well-drained soil. In heavy soils, create a mound for planting.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade. Drought, frost and coast tolerant.
Size: Height 1.5m x width 1.5m

Introducing the rare and beautiful Protea Sulphurea. It is a low-growing exotic shrub with foliage that colour shifts throughout the year with vibrant pastel tones. Pendulous flower heads emerge from the foliage - brightly coloured pink bracts surround a tawny golden centre. The protea flowers during the colder months of autumn and winter - bringing a lift to the landscape with its unique beauty. Sulphurea is low maintenance and is equally at home in display pots or garden beds. The flowers are a treasure in the garden, on the patio and in flower arrangements.

Soil: Well-drained soils. If you have clay soils, use mounds to plant into to facilitate drainage.
Conditions: Sunny open position. These plants are moderately frost, coast and drought-tolerant.
Size: Height 3m x width 0.5m

Special Pink Ice is the hardiest and most prolific flowering of all the proteas. It has an abundance of stunning deep pink flowers with silvery-white fringed bracts, giving them a frosted appearance. The flowers contrast beautifully against bright green foliage, and delights the gardener with a long flowering period from March to October. It's compact growth habit makes Special Pink Ice ideal for small areas, mass planting, formal hedges and containers.

Soil: Well-drained soil. If you have clay soils, use mounds to facilitate drainage. Be sure to use a native soil mix when planting - exotic potting mix or exotic fertiliser will kill them.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade. Moderately frost, coast and drought tolerant.
Size: Height 2.5m x width 2m

The world of proteas is a fascinating one, full of vibrant colours and forms, and Effusa, also known as the Scarlet Sugarbush, stands out with its uniquely charming, pendant blooms. Imagine delicate, dragon-egg shaped flowers dangling from branches, painted in a captivating palette of lemon, salmon, and reddish grapefruit. While most protea species flaunt their flamboyant flower heads upright, Effusa dances to its own tune, its blossoms gracefully hanging downwards. This is the magic of Protea effusa!

Soil: Well-drained soil. If you don't have well-drained soil, create a mound to facilitate planting.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade. Drought tolerant, frost and coast tolerant.
Size: Height 2m x width 2m

Leucadendron Inca Gold is a striking upright evergreen shrub prized for its vivid seasonal display - bringing bold, luminous colour to your garden. This densely bushy variety features broad mid-green foliage and strong red-tinted stems that add interest even before flowering begins. In spring, the stems are crowned with wide, tulip-shaped yellow bracts that glow with intensity, their edges delicately brushed in red. As the cooler months arrive, these bracts deepen to a rich, warm gold, making Inca Gold a standout in late winter and early spring landscapes. The medium-length stems are ideal for picking and floral work, offering long-lasting colour both in the garden and the vase. A robust and reliable performer, this shrub maintains a neat, upright form and responds beautifully to pruning. For best results, trim back stems in late spring to encourage dense, fresh growth for the following season.

Soil: Well-drained soil.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade. Frost, drought and coastal tolerant.
Size: Height 1.5m x width 1.5m