Listen, whether you’re a plant/garden geek or not, these Protea family plants are an excellent choices for your dry Mediterranean climate garden. In this short post get ready to view 5 wonderful plants in the Protea family. These 5 are either native to the Mediterranean regions of South Africa or Australia. You may be familiar with Grevilleas and Leucadendrons and less familiar with Leucospermum, Banksia and Protea which tend to be harder to find in the nurseries, but they are being grown and you can get your hands on them. Definitely the most versatile of the bunch is Grevillea. This genus covers ground covers to large shrubs. All plants here prefer full sun, low water, well drained acidic soil, and absolutely no phosphorus fertilizers. Most should be hardy to 20 – 25 degrees. Enjoy!
Leucospermum
Closeup Leucospermum flowers. (aka: Pincushion) SF, CA
Leucadendeon
Leucadendron mixed with lovely Aloe, Senecio, and Agave composition. SF,CA
Leucadendron flower. SF, CA
Leucadendron in entrance composition. SF, CA.
Leucadendron grouping. SF, CA. Get some height, get a screen, while keeping it airy loose and fun!
Grevillea
Grevillea ‘Long John’ Mill Valley. CA. I love this grassy/shrub with long thin needle-like leaves. Look how well this offsets the red flowers!
Grevillea ‘Red Hooks’ SF, CA. I love the airy effect of this one with long finely lobed foliage + 3 inch long, red, toothbrush flower heads.
Banksia
Banksia in Feb. flower. SF Bot Garden.
Protea
Protea cynaroides – King Protea (Large pink flowers)
Conclusion
That was fun, right? Exotic flowers for sure! Are you thinking of a way to include these in your garden? In a large container? Keep in mind that these 5 Protea family plants are just a drop in the bucket; there are over 80 genera. Anyway, try combining some of these drought tolerant plants along with those with similar growing requirements and you’re on the right track.
Happy Gardening!
Nicole
Where to Buy Proteas?
We’ve include our Etsy and Amazon links for plants listed in this post:
Mediterranean plants posts:
12 Cool Australian Plants for your California Garden
3 Cool Restios. Grass-Like Plants for your Mediterranean Garden!