Battle Ground, WA (Zone 8b) | March 2010 | positive
We're now in our third year with this plant. It was in bloom when we bought it at Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville. Didn't bloom the ...Read Moresecond year, but this year it has 8-10 flower buds. Mine is in a large container in cactus soil (needs good drainage). Avoid overfeeding, and don't feed anything with phosphorus -- like all Proteacea, they have a root system adapted to extracting minute amounts of nutrients from poor soil, and feeding them too much "clogs" the roots and will kill the plant. They like slightly acid soil. Needs lots of sun. The flowers are stunning. It's easy to collect seed if you let the flowers remain on the plant for a while -- each of the tendrils has a seed at the base.
Surprisingly, this plant does well with minimal water in well drained soil -- I had best luck on a southern exposure. Makes great cut fl...Read Moreowers, but let them sit a while before bringing them in as they tend to have ants on them. It takes a couple years to get established but then the plants are covered with flowers. They are relativley deer resistant....
We're now in our third year with this plant. It was in bloom when we bought it at Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville. Didn't bloom the ...Read More
Surprisingly, this plant does well with minimal water in well drained soil -- I had best luck on a southern exposure. Makes great cut fl...Read More