Good drainage and lots of sunshine are the prime requirements of this handsome Protea. It’s a cheap to run shrub too, in as much as it actually dislikes fertiliser and will grow far better when left alone than when it’s pampered. About all you have to do is plant it, watch it grow and flower, although a little light pruning of the old flower stems will help keep it bushy and robust for years to come.
This is an outstanding shrub for raised garden areas, banks and sandy beach gardens. In coastal gardens it can be used as low shelter, in the company of other proteas, including the magnificent, huge flowered Protea cynaroides, leucospermums and Leucadendrons. It could also be used strikingly as a hedge-like row on one side of the garden, with a foreground planting of a pretty flowering ground cover plant such as Arctotis ‘Flamingo’ or Arctotis ‘Tropic Dawn’. Succulents also make a good foreground planting in coastal gardens.
‘Pink ice’ is also intriguing to mingle with Echium fastuosum, which has cone shaped, sky blue flowers in spring, and tall growing Aloes such as A. bainesii. Grevilleas are another good choice for a combined planting and they can include low growing or ground cover varieties, such as ‘Mt Tambourine’ and ‘Red Cloud’ as well as the tall growing and almost continually flowering ‘Robin Hood’. The flowers of the latter attract native birds such as tui and bellbirds.
For something a bit different, plant a group of pale coloured Alstroemerias such as the new, low growing varieties ‘Inca Moonlight’ or ‘Inca Dream’ in the foreground. As with those of ‘Pink Ice’, the flowers are great for picking.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants