These stunningly colorful plants brighten up any hot weather landscape.
Hailing from South Africa,leucadendron encompasses a large group of plants ranging from 4-foot-tall evergreen shrubs to30-foot-tall trees.
They’re hardy in Zones 9-11 and have colorful flowers and attractive foliage.
Once established, leucadendron plants, also called conebushes, are low-maintenance plants.
Select a spot with full sun and well-draining acidic soil.
They work well in drought-prone spots and are stunning as specimen plants.
Smaller varieties are attractive in a border and provide long-lasting flowers and foliage for cut-flower arrangements.
Adjust the pH if needed to reach 6.0 or lower.
Backfill the hole halfway with the amended soil.
Remove the leucadendron from the nursery container, being careful not to damage the roots.
Set it in the hole so it is at the same height as it was in the container.
Continue to backfill the hole, pressing down with your hands to remove air pockets.
Light
Leucadendrons grow best infull sun.
The plants will grow in partial shade, but the blooms aren’t as colorful without full sun.
Soil and Water
This plant needs fast-draining, acidic soil.
(It suffers in heavy clay or high pH conditions.)
To be safe,test your soil’s pHwith an inexpensive test kit.
Water plants at the base to avoid foliar diseases.
If overhead watering is the only option, irrigate earlier in the day so foliage can dry before nightfall.
Leucadendrons are drought-tolerant once the roots have established themselves but benefit from regular, deep watering.
Allow the soil to dry somewhatbetween waterings.
Mulch once a year to control weeds and conserve moisture.
Temperature and Humidity
Leucadendron needs warm temperatures.
It usually doesn’t survive cold or frost.
It prefers a warm, humid environment and good air circulation.
Fertilizer
This shrub is not a heavy feeder and usually doesn’t require any fertilizer.
If you do fertilize, use a product without phosphorous such as a15-0-15 NPK ratio.
For the amount to use, consult the product label directions.
Pruning
In the spring,deadhead the spent bloomsas they occur.
After flowering is completed for the season, cut back the green stems so four sets of leaves remain.
Don’t remove healthy stems that haven’t bloomed.
Prune the entire plant by up to one-third.
Potting and Repotting Leucadendron
Plant leucadendron in a container with good drainage.
Fill it with a loose,well-draining potting mixformulated specifically for acid-loving plants.
Put it in a sunny spot and fertilize it once a year in early spring with a low-phosphorous product.
As a houseplant, it requires warm temperatures and a bright, sunny window location to thrive indoors.
It must be overwintered indoors in all but the warmest environments when grown as an outdoor container plant.
Repot once a year in spring.
The major concern for leucadendron is root rot.
How to Propagate Leucadendron
Propagate leucadendron using stem cuttings or seed.
Cuttings:Fill 1-gallon pots withvermiculite.
Take 12-inchsemi-ripe stem cuttings.
This key in of stem occurs toward the end of the growing season in most locations.
Warmth and humidity are necessary for the cutting to root.
When new growth appears, the cutting has begun to root; remove the plastic bag permanently.
However, only the cones of female plants contain seeds.
Remove a cone and put it in a warm place to dry out.
The seeds are usually covered with a husk that slides off easily.
Fill pots or seed flats with moistened perlite.
Sow the seeds on top, leaving small seeds uncovered and larger seeds lightly covered with perlite.
Enclose the container in a clear plastic bag.
Place the container in a warm area with some light but not full sun.
When the seeds germinate, remove the plastic bag.
Seeds germinate best with warm days of 73F-83F and cooler nights of 68F-72F.
After they germinate and develop root systems, the seedlings can be transplanted into individual pots or the garden.
It takes three years or longer before they produce flowers.
Striking red and yellow flowers decorate the tops of stems in winter and spring.
It reaches 5 to 6 feet in height and width.
Zones 9-10
‘Safari Sunset’ Leucadendron
Leucadendron’Safari Sunset' is a large upright conebush with fine-textured foliage.
Its showy yellow and red blooms are excellent for cutting.
It reaches 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide in zones 9-11.
‘Red Dwarf’ Leucadendron
Leucadendron’Red Dwarf' is a sport of ‘Safari Sunset’.
It grows 8 feet tall in Zones 9-11.
It is covered in spring with spectacular blooms that are attractive, long-lasting cut flowers.
The shrub grows 5 feet tall and wide in zones 9-11.
No, leucadendron’s roots aren’t invasive, and the plant doesn’t reseed.
