If you’re looking out on a winter garden bereft of colour, you most certainly don’t have Leucadendrons in your ornamentals repertoire. These jewel-coloured, shrub-like beauties are native to South Africa, and are renowned for being low-maintenance plantings. Relatives of Proteas, the ‘blooms’ themselves are relatively small, but they are surrounded by vibrantly coloured bracts (modified leaves) which have all the appearance of colourful but rigid petals. The combined ‘inflorescence’ can certainly make a size-statement, especially when mature bushes burst into masses of colour in early to mid-winter. What’s more, the colour can vary dramatically. Leucadendron come in a rainbow range of pale lemons, pinks, bronzes, reds, whites, and oranges, and they change in colour as the season progresses. As if this isn’t reason enough to grow them, their inflorescences hold in a vase for up to 3 weeks or longer!
Because Leucadendron are a native of South Africa, it’s tempting to assume these bush-like plants require very hot temperatures in which to thrive, but this is not the case at all. Leucadendron are plants of altitude, often growing on forest margins and granite mountain slopes. This makes them not only a frost-hardy plant (down to temperatures of -5C to -7 C, depending on varieties), but also one which can withstand harsh, windy, dry, conditions that continue for significant periods. Does this mean if you live in a wet region, you can’t grow Leucadendrons? Not at all!
Leucadendron will most definitely not tolerate wet feet or high humidity, especially at night, but with careful siting and ground preparation, you can still enjoy them in your garden. If you have a dry spot, such as at the foot of a mature hedge, beneath the eves of the house, or hard up against the sunny wall of a garden shed, you’re in luck. But even if you don’t have such places at your disposal, you can improvise. To do this, dig into your ground plenty of coarse drainage material such as broken clay pots, gravel, or small stones. On top, mound up gritty soil, and pop your Leucadendron into this position. If you can achieve all this, and also plant on a slope, you’ll be achieving the free-draining conditions these sun-lovers crave. If humidity is a seasonal constant where you live, make sure your plant has space to breathe by keeping the site free of taller growing plants that will inhibit airflow. If you do find your Leucadendron requires watering, do so when there is plenty of air movement happening.
Although Leucadendron are billed as low-maintenance, there are still a few tips to follow in order to keep them happy. They prefer a slightly acid soil, and won’t thank you for fertilizer. If you do have to water them, water deeply once a week rather than giving them a little water each day. Don’t be afraid to prune them heavily. After the plants colourful plumage has had its day (toward the end of winter or in early spring), snip back the woody stems to just above a node (growing point). The result will be a bushier shrub.
If you love colour but don’t have space in your garden for a Leucadendron, these adaptable plants will happily settle for a pot on the balcony. Container-grown Leucadendron are also the perfect solution for gardeners who live in very cold regions as the plant can be moved into a conservatory or sunny greenhouse over winter (it may require a covering of frost cloth at night in parts of the country that experience severe-winter cold).
If you’re looking for low-maintenance winter colour for the garden or the vase, a Leucadendron is your go-to, and right now is the time to head to the garden centre to view these cheerful winter companions.