Protea Growing Australia

Climate and soils are suited to proteas and plantings are centred around perth and busselton.

Protea growing australia. If your soil s not naturally well drained you can. Proteas are grown for the local export and interstate markets. Protea production in western australia began in the mid 1980s and peaked in the mid 1990s. It s often assumed that proteas and their relatives are australian natives but they in fact hail from south africa.

They re in the proteaceae family like waratahs banksias hakeasand grevilleaswhich are the australian branch of the family. The most common proteas belong to the genera protea leucadendron and leucospermum pincushion and serruria blushing bride. The key to growing plants from the proteaceae family is the soil conditions. However they are closely related to some of our showiest plants such as banksias grevilleas and waratahs.

For example protea compactais a beautiful dense growing plant. The family proteaceae was one of the earliest groups of flowering plants dispersing and diversifying throughout gondwana before the break up of the supercontinent. The name protea commonly refers not only to plants in the genus protea but also to plants in two other genera from south africa leucadendron and leucospermum. Growing proteas proteas are native to southern africa and belong to the same family of plants proteaceae as australia s native banksias grevilleas and waratahs.

Proteas put on a gorgeous display in gardens mainly through the late winter and spring months. They are tough and hardy evergreen plants will thrive in exposed positions with poor soils and are also both heat and cold tolerant from 6 to 40. There are many proteasand leucadendronsavailable some are low growing and others form sizable screen plants which are great as a hedge.