I've been looking for a
Leucospermum cordifolium 'Yellow Bird' (also known as a Pincushion Protea) since seeing a neighbor's plant in bloom in a brick planter at the front of her driveway. It's magnificent and looks quite happy with its placement.
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A neighbor's Leucospermum cordifolium 'Yellow Bird" |
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Close-up of the pincushion flowers |
Another neighbor has a huge orange
Leucospermum growing in her terraced front yard.
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Neighbor's orange Leucospermum, photographed in March |
I saw 'Yellow Bird' at Rogers Gardens, a nursery in Orange County, last year but the price made me blanch and, when I looked for the plant again this year, they had no more in stock. I checked other nurseries and also came up empty. I finally bagged a small plant - actually more of a cutting - at the South Coast Spring Garden Show in late April. The grower, Big Island Plants, is based in San Diego. As I understand that these plants are most likely to be killed off by over-watering, I've put mine in a pot for now so I can control that more easily.
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Leucospermum cordifolium cutting in a pot that cost 2x as much as the plant |
I managed to kill one of these plants years ago. My fingers are crossed that I'll be more successful with this one.
Yikes! Twice as much? Here's hoping the little guy thrives!
ReplyDeleteLocal pottery prices are so high I've considered another attempt at making my own (although I wasn't particularly successful the 1st time). I'd really rather put the plant in the ground but I have yet to figure out the right spot.
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