Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Poole
Sacha wrote:
Has this recently figured on a tv programme or something? We've had a few
requests for it in the last couple of days and wonder why. It's not your
average garden shrub!It is probably the hardiest member of the Proteafamily and develops into a medium to tall, often somewhat columnar,
evergreen-semi evergeen small tree smothered in vivid scarlet flowers
during late spring and early summer. It is aptly dubbed 'Chilean Fire
Bush' and is hardy in most parts of the UK. preferring high rainfall
areas on humus-rich, neutral to mildly acidic soils. Ideally suited
to semi woodland or dappled shade it is a perfect partner to
Rhododendrons and Azaleas. There's a particularly fine, free-
flowering form with very narrow leaves called 'Norquinco Valley' that
is spectacular when in full flower. There are very good specimens at
Bodnant and it really should be on the planting list for the lower
part of the garden at HH.
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It isn't the easiest plant to grow if your garden conditions are not to its liking (says he having had one that died). It's favoured conditions are very well drained non-alkaline soil with plenty of water. Hence does well in Cornwall and the west of Ireland. Growing it in the east of England is more challenging. The ones I've seen in the wild were growing out of a pile of crushed granite.
In theory it ought to be very hardy, because in the wild it has a very wide latitudinal range, growing right down almost to the furthest south of Patagonia where the climate is colder and windier than most places in Britain. However the plant stock in Britain tends to come from the northern end of its range in milder areas of Chile/Arg, where it is warmer than Britain, and these varieties often don't appreciate the spring frosts commonly found outside the western and southern extremities of Britain. This is a shame since plants growing further south of Patagonia are more bush-sized and therefore suited to the smaller garden.