Protea

Family. Proteaceae.

Origin. South Africa, some species live in Australia.

Description. Protea is a perennial evergreen subshrub with abundantly branched vertical or lodging shoots, usually colored brown or burgundy.

The plant has hard, lanceolate, pointed leaves on short petioles. Some species have sessile leaves.

The leaf blades are colored green or bluish, have solid edges, and are arranged spirally. Often the central leaf vein is highlighted in a lighter shade, and the underside of the leaf may also have a lighter color. Young shoots and leaves may have slight light pubescence. 

During the flowering period, large flower heads are formed on the tops of numerous shoots, which can reach 30 cm in diameter. The inflorescences resemble a star in shape - they have many bracts, which, as they approach the center of the bud, change shade from green to white, yellow, pink or red.

In the center of the inflorescences there are numerous small flowers. The tips of the bracts may be pubescent. The flower petals are thin and needle-shaped. During the flowering period, many varieties and species can emit a very pleasant sweetish aroma.

Interestingly, flowers are pollinated mainly by birds or small rodents. Birds can even build nests in protea bushes, using its own sepals as building material. 

For the abundance of nectar and sweetish juice, the indigenous people of Africa gave the second name to protea - “pot of honey”. Currently, the genus includes about 100 plant species. Protea is depicted on the coat of arms of the Republic of South Africa. The botanical garden in Cape Town boasts the largest variety of species, and protea is grown there in open ground.

The genus "Protea" belongs to dicotyledonous plants of the Proteaceae family, most of whose representatives prefer hot countries and continents with tropical and subtropical climates. The family contains both evergreen trees up to 20 meters high and small herbs.

Proteaceae by nature are adapted to survive in harsh conditions - they are not afraid of sands poor in nutrients, they can easily tolerate hot weather and prolonged absence of precipitation. To store moisture, many species form special organs - lignotuberos, which, like bulbs, release reserves when unfavorable external conditions occur. 

Height. In its natural habitat it can reach 2 meters or more. When kept at home it usually grows to 60 - 70 cm.

When it blooms

The flowering period in nature occurs in late spring - early summer. The inflorescences of many species resemble artichoke fruits. Each inflorescence can remain fresh and attractive for a month. 

Meaning, legends associated with the plant

Florists love this spectacular beauty - protea will add a bright accent to any bouquet and can withstand even long-term transportation. The strict elegance of the inflorescences allows it to be used in wedding compositions, in bouquets that are presented to men or strong, self-confident women.

In addition to its visual appeal, the flower remains fresh for 15 - 20 days in a vase with water. Half-opened buds simply continue to live in the room. In order for the inflorescences to decorate the interior for 2 - 3 years, they are cut in the morning or evening and dried. To dry, hang the stems upside down in a warm and well-ventilated place. African rose looks great as a dried flower and fully retains its bright color.

Africans believe that protea has healing properties - its nectar is used as an expectorant for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. 

The name "Protea" appeared thanks to Carl Linnaeus, a famous Swedish naturalist and botanist. It is believed that the flower is named after Proteus, the son of Poseidon and Hera, who could change his appearance like the changing weather at sea. So, Proteus could take the form of any animal, human, or resemble water and fire. Likewise, Protea inflorescences can take on different colors and shapes.

The greatest popularity of the African rose was noted in the 19th century, when almost all noble people of Europe, including royal families, kept the flower.

When used in floral arrangements, protea will symbolize courage and authority. At the same time, white inflorescences will remain a symbol of tenderness, purity and innocence, while pink ones will mean tender romantic feelings. Red flowers will mean passion. 

Reproduction

There are 2 ways to propagate protea - growing from seeds and cuttings. In the first case, you can get many plants at once, but varietal flowers may lose their appearance, and it will take about 5 years for the first flowering to occur. Cuttings allow you to obtain an exact copy of the mother bush in a shorter time. 

Growing from seeds

Unfortunately, plants of the Proteaceae family are not very popular at present and you can get good planting material in rare flower shops or from collectors. Protea seeds have high germination capacity and retain it for several years.

To speed up the germination process, many gardeners advise stratifying the planting material. For cool stratification, the seeds are sent to a small plastic bag filled with slightly damp river sand. The bag is tied and left in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator or on a glassed-in balcony at a temperature of 6 - 8 degrees Celsius for 2 months.

The period from late winter to May is suitable for sowing seeds — planting is done in seedling boxes. Drainage holes are made at the bottom and a moisture-removing layer of broken brick, expanded clay or river pebbles is laid. Crushed polystyrene foam is also suitable as drainage.

Since the flower likes acidic soil, the soil mixture is made up of high-moor peat and river sand, taken in equal quantities. The planting material is soaked for half an hour in warm water with the addition of growth hormones.

The soil surface is slightly moistened with warm water from a spray bottle and the seeds are sown. The planting depth should be approximately 2 - 2.5 times the size of the seeds.

The crops are sprayed from above and sent to a warm room with a temperature of about 22 - 25 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to arrange a difference between day and night temperatures with a difference of about 10 degrees - this will imitate the change of day and night in nature.

The top of the container can be covered with transparent film or covered with glass - this measure will create a greenhouse effect and speed up the germination process. Every day, the cover must be removed, and the seedlings must be ventilated.

With the appearance of the first signs of growth (usually this occurs 1 - 1.5 months after sowing), the cover must be removed. The soil in the tray should be slightly damp.

Since the duration of daylight in the spring is short, artificial lighting is provided. At night, the light must be turned off. Seedlings develop extremely slowly and in a month can gain only 1-2 cm in height.

Picking is carried out when the seedlings can boast 2 - 4 true leaves. Prepare small individual flower pots and fill them with the same soil in which the seeds were sown. You can add some finely chopped pine needles to the substrate - as they rot, they will fill the soil with nutrients and help maintain the necessary acidic pH level of the soil.

The bushes are carefully removed together with the root ball and transplanted into pots. Plants treated in this way are watered and left in a bright room without access to direct sunlight for 5-6 days.

A month after picking, you can carry out the first feeding with mineral fertilizers, but the solution should be 3-4 times weaker than recommended.

Young plants develop quite slowly, and the first buds will adorn their shoots only after 4-5 years.

Cuttings

The cuttings are cut in late spring or in the first half of summer, they can reach 10 - 12 cm in length.

Each cutting should have 2-3 internodes. The cutting is done with a sharp knife, making the lower cut oblique, and the upper one - straight. The base of the cutting is dried for 2-3 hours in the open air and powdered with growth hormones.

Rooting is done in a mixture of slightly damp river sand and peat. Leave the cuttings at room temperature in a well-lit place without direct sunlight. The first sign of root formation will be the beginning of new growth.

How to care

Despite its attractive appearance, protea is very undemanding and quite easy to grow at home. In spring and summer, pots with these flowers can be taken outside, taking care of shelter from strong winds and rain.

Temperature

The African rose will be happy only with the strongest summer heat - during the growing season, the air temperature should be above 20 degrees Celsius.

In the fall, the frequency of watering is gradually reduced, and the air temperature is lowered to 6 - 8 degrees Celsius, simulating the onset of winter in nature. In the absence of a dormant period, the bushes suffer from a lack of light, stretch out and form buds.

In the spring, the plants are gradually awakened and prepared for the active growth phase by raising the air temperature and increasing watering.

Some species can withstand light frosts down to -2 degrees Celsius, but plants should not be exposed to such danger.

Lighting

The main difficulty in growing protea is providing the plants with sufficient lighting. When placing indoors, it is worth providing the most illuminated window sill or placing the pot in close proximity to the south window.

The bushes easily tolerate direct rays of the sun even at midday - in extreme cases, you can place them on a southeast or southwest window.

Daylight hours should be long and range from 12 to 14 hours a day. In autumn and winter, additional artificial light sources in the form of fluorescent or LED lamps should be provided.

Watering, air humidity and fertilizing

Proteas will require a limited amount of moisture even during the growing period. In spring and summer, the soil should dry out between waterings to a depth of about 5 cm. In no case should moisture remain in the tray after watering, and the soil must be well-drained.

Even at the beginning of autumn, the frequency of watering is gradually reduced and by November the bushes should be in almost dry soil. During the winter months, just be careful not to let the soil ball dry out completely. It is worth gradually increasing watering only next spring. Excess moisture that appears in the pan after watering is immediately drained.

Watering should be done with warm, settled tap water with a few drops of lemon juice added per liter. Collected rain or filtered water can also be recommended for watering. Young seedlings prefer more uniform watering; with age, their resistance to drought will be higher.

The flower prefers dry air in heated living spaces; it does not need additional humidification. The main requirement is excellent air circulation. The room should be periodically ventilated, but the bush should not be exposed to cold drafts.

Representatives of the family easily tolerate a lack of nutrients, so feeding is carried out only from the beginning of growth until flowering, about once a month. Despite the fact that the flower can safely be attributed to succulents, ready-made mineral fertilizers for azaleas with an acidic pH level are more suitable for it.

The fertilizer solution is diluted to half or even a third of the dose recommended on the package and applied after abundant watering. Do not feed on dry soil - too concentrated solution can harm the roots - chemical burn will occur. In the autumn months, stop feeding and resume only in the spring.

You can use ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer - the bushes will receive a sufficient amount of nitrogen from it, and the finished fertilizer solution will have an acidic reaction.

Organic matter should not be used as a fertilizer - in nature, protea grows on very poor soils with a minimum organic content. After transplantation, the flower does not need feeding for 3-4 months - it will only need those nutrients that are already in the fresh substrate.

Pruning

Regular pruning is required to maintain a compact shape and better branching. Pruning is done in early spring, when the flower wakes up. Shoots that are too long are shortened by a quarter of their height with a sharp and sterile pruner. Stems that grow inward and thicken the crown are also removed.

During sanitary pruning, all weak and diseased branches are removed. To maintain an attractive appearance after flowering, faded flower heads are cut off along with the tops of the shoots. Such pruning prevents the formation of seeds and maintains the health of the bush.

Soil composition and replanting

The soil mixture should have excellent drainage and a pH level of 5.0 to 5.5. Protea loves sandy substrates, so it is worth mixing up to 30-50 percent of the total soil volume with river sand.

Some amateurs grow the bush in ready-made soil intended for rhododendrons and azaleas, but you can prepare the substrate yourself. To do this, take pine needles, peat and some garden soil. African rose easily tolerates soils poor in nutrients.

Since the plant develops slowly and does not require nutritious soil, replanting can only be done every 2-3 years. The best time for replanting is spring - choose the moment when the first young leaves of the current season appear. Do not replant flowering specimens - at this time, stress is undesirable.

For planting, prepare a pot that will exceed the previous one in diameter by 2 - 3 cm. In shape, it should resemble a shallow bowl. The bottom of the pot should have large drainage holes and a drainage layer 4-6 cm high. Drainage is sprinkled with a small layer of soil.

The bush is removed from the old pot together with the root ball. If the plant does not show signs of rotting, then it is simply transferred to a new container along with the soil, trying not to disturb the root system.

If rot appears, the root system is shaken off from the remains of the soil and inspected. Old and rotten roots damaged by the disease are cut to healthy tissue, and the wound surface is treated with coal dust.

The flower is placed in the center of the new pot and sprinkled with soil around the circumference. The surface of the substrate is slightly compacted to remove air pockets.

The seedlings should not be watered for 3-4 days after transplantation - during this time the wounds on the root system will heal. Also, do not immediately expose such specimens to direct sunlight - it is better to transfer them to a permanent place in a week.

Large bushes do not need to be replanted at all - for tub plants in the spring it is enough to replace the top 5-7 cm of soil with fresh soil mixture.

Diseases and pests

The main problems of protea are related rather to illiterate care and improper living conditions. Root rot occurs when overwatering and planting in soil that is too moisture-intensive.

Neutral or alkaline soils lead to yellowing of the foliage and plants may even die. With high air humidity and frequent watering, seedlings may suffer from blackleg. If there is insufficient ventilation, signs of late blight may appear.

Among the harmful insects, aphids can attack the flower.

Varieties and types

Protea cynaroides

It is a weakly branched evergreen shrub 90 - 120 cm high with large, cup-shaped flower heads reaching a diameter of 20 cm. The bracts are hard, pointed, brightly colored, and have light pubescence. The inflorescences have various shades in the white and red range; their shape can be wide open or funnel-shaped. The flowering period occurs in spring - summer, but individual flowers can form in any other months. Each adult bush can form up to 40 flower heads per season. The leaves are oblong-oval, bluish-green. 

Protea Madiba King

The variety was bred on the basis of Protea artichoke and reaches a height of about 1 meter. The plants are characterized by bright green leaves and very colorful inflorescences. The buds are dense, opening into flower heads up to 15 cm in diameter. The outer bracts are colored in a rich red hue on the outside and lighter on the inside. The flowers inside the flower baskets are rather light cream. The plants performed very well when cut - the half-opened buds in the vase fully show their beauty. 

Protea Barbigera, Protea Magnifica

A medium-sized perennial whose height can reach 100 - 200 cm. The inflorescences are funnel-shaped, colored in a rich pink, cream or yellowish tint, the tips of the bracts are pubescent. The shape of the flower heads resembles fir cones. 

Protea Magnifica Didi

A shrub with leaf blades of a bluish-green hue tightly adjacent to the shoots. The leaves are short-petiolate, oblong - oval in shape. The flower heads are oblong, colored pinkish-purple.

Protea Lancelot

An evergreen perennial that easily withstands harsh conditions - neutral or slightly alkaline soil and prolonged drought. It is a shrub 2 - 3 meters high with erect, branched shoots. Young stems often have a reddish tint. The leaves are oblong - elliptical, bluish - green, hard, on short petioles. The inflorescences are pink, reaching a diameter of 5 - 7 cm. The tips of the bracts have light pubescence. 

Protea Sheila

Hybrid plants with brightly colored reddish inflorescences. The height of the bush is about 1.5 meters. this variety is often used in flower arrangements, as it has long and straight shoots, excellent for cutting. The leaves are green, with a distinct yellowish central vein. The bracts are wide, rigid, with white pubescence at the tips. The center of the flower head is dark, almost black.

Protea mundii

One of the tallest types of protea - in its natural habitat the bushes can reach a height of 8 - 12 m. Over time, the trunk becomes woody and covered with smooth gray bark. The base of the trunk can reach a diameter of 15 - 25 cm. Young shoots and leaves often have attractive light pubescence. The leaf blades are oblong - elliptical, green, reaching a length of 12 cm. Inflorescences are white or cream, up to 6 - 8 cm in diameter, formed at the tops of the shoots and often remain half-open. The outer bracts may have a greenish tint. 

Protea Venus

Evergreen plants 4 - 5 m high with erect, branched stems. The leaves are oblong-oval, bluish-green. The leaf blades are covered with a thin coating. With age, the shoots become overgrown with brown bark, which contrasts perfectly with the leaves. The inflorescences are bright pink, half-open. The bracts are broadly oval, with luxurious white pubescence. The center of the inflorescences is often yellow. 

Protea eximia

A small tree or tall shrub up to 2 - 5 m with thick, succulent, branched stems. The leaves are elliptical, bluish-green, often corrugated at the edges. The leaf blades are entire, without pubescence. The species is distinguished by very large and brightly colored inflorescences - flower heads can reach 10 - 14 cm in diameter. Interestingly, the bracts of this species change their color as they approach the inflorescence - from greenish, through yellow and to pink. This bush is also characterized by the shape of its bracts, which resemble a small spoon. 

Protea eximia Sylvia

A spectacular hybrid bred from Protea exceptionala. It is a low shrub reaching 2 - 3 meters in height. Young shoots are colored burgundy. The leaf blades are oblong-oval, entire. The central vein and edges of the leaves may have a reddish tint. The inflorescences are large, half-open, extremely attractive - the bracts are bright pink, and the flowers at the base are white, gradually turning purple. 

Protea repens

Depending on external factors, the height of this shrub can be from 1 to 4 meters. The shoots are branched and covered with brownish-orange bark. The leaves are green, narrow, covered with a bluish waxy coating. The inflorescences are cup-shaped, half-open, colored pink, red or cream. 

Protea macrocephala

 This species is loved by florists for its spectacular inflorescences, which can be used in bouquets both fresh and to decorate rooms as dried flowers. These shrubs have green, smooth, entire leaves. The inflorescences are large, rich crimson in color. The oblong bracts have luxurious white pubescence towards the top. The center of the flower heads is almost black. 

Protea grandiceps

A flowering perennial of round shape, up to 2 meters high, with branched light brown shoots. The leaves are wide, spoon-shaped, bluish in color. The leaf blades are entire, the central leaf vein and the edges of the leaves are often colored reddish. The inflorescences are large - reaching a diameter of 10 - 14 cm, painted in a pink tint, which contrasts well with the foliage. The bracts have rich pink pubescence.