Protea cynaroides question
 

I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other
things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very
friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them
including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on
say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no
use here.
Thanks.
Ford.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:24:39 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote:

I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other
things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very
friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them
including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on
say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no
use here.
Thanks.
Ford.

There are no books on growing proteas specifically relevant to the UK,
as they're difficult, and not many people grow them. Two books that I
have a

'Grow Proteas'
Brown, Kotze & Botha,
Kirstenbosch Gardening Series

'Growing Proteas'
Rob McLennan
Kangaroo Press

Both are soft-back booklets rather than books. I got mine from Trevena
Cross Nurseries, a few miles from Hardy Exotics. IIRC they do mail
order. http://www.trevenacross.co.uk/ . They do proteas as well.

I also grow several proteas, but only a few are hardy, and then only
in the far SW of Cornwall. P. cynaroides is among the hardiest, but I
wouldn't leave it outside in winter unless where you live is very
mild. Mine, outside all year in the ground, got cut back by a frost of
-2C last February. Grow it in a pot, as they don't like root
disturbance.

As for cultural requirements, they require poor, very free draining
acid soil. I make my own mix of equal parts of the following:

acid soil / peat / gritty sand (or fine grit) / perlite (not
vermiculite) / horticultural charcoal

To this I add both hoof and horn and dried blood fertiliser, a couple
of generous handfuls per barrowload of mix (but you won't need that
much, so scale down accordingly). Avoid bone meal, fish meal or
anything with phosphate in it. Phosphate fertilisers are poison to
proteas, so don't use a 'balanced' commercial fertiliser. When I want
to fertilise my plants, I use a level teaspoonful of each of sulphate
of ammonia, sulphate of potash and sulphate of magnesium in a
watering-can (say 1.5 gallons). Trevena Cross Nursery (see above) do
a granulated slow release fertiliser specifically for proteas.

They don't like being over watered. They also like a buoyant
atmosphere, breezy even, so keep the greenhouse well ventilated at all
times, if that's where you want to grow it.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:34:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:24:39 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote:

I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other
things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very
friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them
including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on
say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no
use here.
Thanks.
Ford.

There are no books on growing proteas specifically relevant to the UK,
as they're difficult, and not many people grow them. Two books that I
have a

'Grow Proteas'
Brown, Kotze & Botha,
Kirstenbosch Gardening Series

'Growing Proteas'
Rob McLennan
Kangaroo Press

Both are soft-back booklets rather than books. I got mine from Trevena
Cross Nurseries, a few miles from Hardy Exotics. IIRC they do mail
order. http://www.trevenacross.co.uk/ . They do proteas as well.

I also grow several proteas, but only a few are hardy, and then only
in the far SW of Cornwall. P. cynaroides is among the hardiest, but I
wouldn't leave it outside in winter unless where you live is very
mild. Mine, outside all year in the ground, got cut back by a frost of
-2C last February. Grow it in a pot, as they don't like root
disturbance.

As for cultural requirements, they require poor, very free draining
acid soil. I make my own mix of equal parts of the following:

acid soil / peat / gritty sand (or fine grit) / perlite (not
vermiculite) / horticultural charcoal

To this I add both hoof and horn and dried blood fertiliser, a couple
of generous handfuls per barrowload of mix (but you won't need that
much, so scale down accordingly). Avoid bone meal, fish meal or
anything with phosphate in it. Phosphate fertilisers are poison to
proteas, so don't use a 'balanced' commercial fertiliser. When I want
to fertilise my plants, I use a level teaspoonful of each of sulphate
of ammonia, sulphate of potash and sulphate of magnesium in a
watering-can (say 1.5 gallons). Trevena Cross Nursery (see above) do
a granulated slow release fertiliser specifically for proteas.

They don't like being over watered. They also like a buoyant
atmosphere, breezy even, so keep the greenhouse well ventilated at all
times, if that's where you want to grow it.

Thanks for the info Chris,
The plant is about 2ft x 2ft at the moment and in a pot along side my
two large Strelitzia reginae, I'll probably bring it in to the
conservatory a couple of months before them (winters aren't too severe
in Portsmouth) the people at Hardy Exotics told me the secret in the
winter was good air movement (should be no problem I have fans going
for air circulation all year) I found a couple of web sites saying
various things about growing in the UK some the same some
contradictory, I was worried I'd pick out the wrong things :0)
Trevena Cross was one of the nurseries on my must visit list but
unfortunately I had to cut my visit short due to family illness
problems, (only got to spend 3 nights of a booked 7!!) I'll look at
their site and probably put in an order.
Thanks again
Ford

P.S.

My proteas, especially young ones in the greenhouse, suffer from a
fungal disease that blackens the leaves from the tips back, in spite
of the door, roof and wall ventilators always being open. Even plants
outside get this fungus occasionally, although P.cynaroides seems less
susceptible than others. If not checked, it spreads rapidly and will
kill the plant in a few weeks. After considerable trial and error with
a variety of fungicides, the only effective control I've found is
Dithane 945.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 18:08:37 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

P.S.

My proteas, especially young ones in the greenhouse, suffer from a
fungal disease that blackens the leaves from the tips back, in spite
of the door, roof and wall ventilators always being open. Even plants
outside get this fungus occasionally, although P.cynaroides seems less
susceptible than others. If not checked, it spreads rapidly and will
kill the plant in a few weeks. After considerable trial and error with
a variety of fungicides, the only effective control I've found is
Dithane 945.

Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the
books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob
McLennan one for £69.95!! I did find the second edition of 'Grow
Proteas' at SAflora Plant Nursery £13.99.
Thanks again for the advice.
Ford

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 17:58:16 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote:


Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the
books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob
McLennan one for £69.95!!

Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember
what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow
Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much
more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of
both.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 18:19:41 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 17:58:16 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote:


Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the
books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob
McLennan one for £69.95!!

Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember
what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow
Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much
more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of
both.

I must admit I was surprised especially as you described it as a
pamphlet, I'll email the nursery and see what they have to say, in the
mean time here's a link to the Amazon page..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...698708-5670008
Ford

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 17:29:34 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote:


Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember
what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow
Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much
more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of
both.

I must admit I was surprised especially as you described it as a
pamphlet, I'll email the nursery and see what they have to say, in the
mean time here's a link to the Amazon page..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...698708-5670008
Ford

Yes, it's the same book AFAICT. Can't believe the price though!


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net