protea pink ice
Shown here with its last flowers of a long season that started last fall is Protea x Pink Ice, a hybrid between the species P. compacta and P. susannae. Although one of the growing guides says this stops at 5–7 feet tall, it’s now pushing 10 or more, egged on by a cool and moist winter.
The shrub is well-behaved, and responds well to gentle pruning. But you grow it because of its flowers, and they’re pretty exotic:
When I get all piney over not having a cold enough climate to properly grow lady’s slipper orchids or produce even a small apricot crop, seriously cool plants like this begin to make up for what I can’t do.
March 27 2008 | Categories: my garden • plant profiles | Tags: in bloom • Protea Pink Ice | No Comments »
