LEUCADENDRON

Family: Proteaceae
Common name: Conebushes

Main commercial hybrids:
Safari Sunset, Blush, Chameleon, Laurel Yellow, Jubilee crown, Inca Gold, Pisa, Gold Strike, Rosette, Pom pom.

Main commercial species:
Discolor, Galpinii, Argenteum

Main target marketing period:
Foliage products:  Year round, small quantities July and August
Cone products:  November to December

LEUCADENDRONS are evergreen woody perennials with growth habits that range from small trees to spreading shrubs and prostrate groundcovers.
Plants are dioecious with the female being the most useful as commercial products.

Cutflower products have upright growth habits and are foliage or cone products with differing harvesting times.

Potplant products have compact growth habits with showy foliage or cones.

Garden varieties make excellent screens or hedges.

In general LEUCADENDRONS are sensitive to Phytophthora and are best grown in sandy well drained soil.  The optimum pH is 5.5 to 6.5. 

LEUCADENDRONS are best planted in the autumn and no later than spring.  Recommended planting density is 5000 plants per 1000m2.

HARVEST
The first harvest varies depending on the variety.  Most varieties will give the first crop in year two if planted in Autumn.  Some varieties are biannual and will only give a crop every second year and need to be pruned accordingly.

Plants can be harvested for approximately 10 years.

Cone products need to be sprayed for botrytis pre and post harvest. 
Foliage products are susceptible to Lepidoptera damage in the spring and autumn.

PROTEA

Family: Proteaceae
Common name: Sugarbushes

Main commercial hybrids:
Sylvia, Susara, Brenda, Pink Ice, Carnival, Empress, Venus, Sheila, Ivy

Main commercial species:
White repens, P. cynaroides, P. grandiceps

Main target marketing period:
September to December

PROTEAS are evergreen woody perennials with growth habits that range from small trees to spreading shrubs and prostrate groundcovers.  PROTEAS grow in flushes.  Variation in the time the flush starts depends on the pruning date.   Most PROTEAS will initiate flowers on the spring flush which will produce flowers from April to August. 

Cutflower products have upright growth habits and flower size varies from small sized flowers to large sized flowers.  Flower colour ranges from white, light pink, dark pink through to red.

Potplant products have compact growth habits with showy flowers.

In general PROTEAS will grow in most soils but prefer acid soils with the optimum pH being 5.5 to 6.5.  Flower quality is best in milder climates.

PROTEAS are best planted in the autumn and no later than spring.  Recommended planting density of 4000 plants per 1000m2. 

HARVEST
The first harvest varies depending on the variety.  Most varieties will give the first crop in year three if planted in Autumn.  Some varieties are biannual and will only give a crop every second year and need to be pruned accordingly.

Flowering time in certain varieties can be scheduled through pruning and hormone treatment.

Plants can be harvested for about 15 to 20 years.

Care should be taken when bud formation takes place that borers do not damage the developing flower buds.  Leaf miner can be a problem on new growth.

LEUCOSPERMUM

Family: Proteaceae
Common name: Pincushions

Main commercial hybrids:
Succession, Tango, High Gold, Rigoletto, Soleil, Vlam, Goldie, Veldfire

Main commercial species:
Cordifolium, Cuneiforme

Main target marketing period:
August to December

LEUCOSPERMUM are evergreen woody perennials with growth habits that range from small trees to spreading shrubs and prostrate groundcovers.  Flower colour ranges from pale orange to dark orange, red and yellow.

Cutflower products have upright growth habits and flowers vary from small sized flowers to large sized flowers.

Potplant products have compact growth habit with showy flowers.

In general LEUCOSPERMUM require acid soils with the optimum pH being 5.5 to 6.5.  They prefer sandy well drained soils.

LEUCOSPERMUM are best planted in the autumn and no later than spring.  Recommended planting density of 4000 plants per 1000m2. 

HARVEST
The first harvest varies depending on the variety.  Most varieties will give the first crop in year two if planted in Autumn. 

Flowering time in certain varieties can be scheduled through pruning and disbudding. By disbudding the primary inflorescence can be removed and one of the uppermost secondary flower buds will resume development and be harvestable later.

Plants can be harvested for about 10 years.

Certain varieties are sensitive to Phytophthora.

BRUNIACEAE

Family name: Bruniaceae
Common name: 

Main commercial hybrids:
No selections or hybrids

Main commercial species:
Albigreen, Albiflora, Baubles

Main target marketing period:
April to October and October to January

BRUNIACEAE are evergreen woody shrubs with upright growth habits of medium size.  The product is harvested pre-flowering as a small to medium cluster of baubles.

Cutflower products vary from small to medium sized heads which vary in colour from green, silver/green to bronze and red.

In general BRUNIACEAE require acid soils with the optimum pH being 5.5 to 6.5.  They prefer sandy well drained soils.

BRUNIACEAE should be planted in the spring and autumn.  Recommended planting density of 5000 plants per 1000m2. 

HARVEST
The first harvest varies depending on the variety.  Most varieties will give the first crop in year three if planted in Autumn. 

Some varieties are biannual and will only give a crop every second year and need to be pruned accordingly.

Plants can be harvested from for about 10 to 15 years.