Protea from cut flowers

I`ve been talk about my town market florist before and his amazing bargains , but he also sell amazing tropical flowers , like birds of paradise and heliconias.
But what it catch my attention was the protea and other australian flower.

Before I`ve made plants of roses out of a cut rose from the shop , done again with other flowers .......will it work with the australian flower as well?

I`m not pointing to do it now as sometime the flower at the market are almost frozen .

 

I thought most Proteas were from S. Africa, the Aussies have Grevilleas and Banksias, Telopeas etc.
I know some of the grevilleas root from cuttings, but not sure Proteas do.

 

I think all the flowers are coming from South africa and yes I always confusing the telopeas with proteas , I think I`ve even seen a banksias once....but as over here is winter and over there is the beginning of summer , will I find some more banksias and proteas in spring?
I`m already in trouble with cutting and bulbs available just in winter ....

Pete do you rekon will it work?

 

Give it a try Sal. We would all like to learn from your experiments. Though from my short experience I found Protea difficult to keep alive.

 

Sal,
I doubt that you will get a Protea to root from a flower. They put most of their energy into the flower itself.
But seeds are available from Silverhill if you want to give them a try.

The Proteacae (spelling), are quite widespread
Protea, Leucodendron, Leucospermum, and some minor genera in Africa (mainly SA)
Banksia, Grevillia and others in Australia
And there is a genus or two in South America (the names escape me at the moment).

I had a Leucospermum argentium from seed. But one autumn I left it outside a few days too long, there was an unexpected frost, and that was the end of it unfortunately.

 

Thank you Sirius , I`ve used Silverhill ones , really good seeds and raccomand , but not worth ordering one bag of seeds .

As you say they put most of their energy into the flower , roses do the same but they are ever so easy to root .

the protea was just an idea of what you potentially get out of it , I`ve seen dahlias stem rooted , roses , crisantemos , Bouvardia , hydrangea ,pittosporum , up to curly willow stem , lucky bamboo and so on .


Sure got to buy one of those , me happy miss over the moon

 

This is Protea cyneroides, the King Protea.
Photo taken at Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens last December

 

This is Leucospermum oleifolium

 

You just made a good point , the reason I want to try from cutting flower is that usually florist have always the pretty and the best of the cut flowers , plus to germinate some of the australian can be pretty treacky , as some of them will only start to germinate after a bush fires , don`t know if it work the same for South Africans plants.

look even her approve my theory .

 

If its any help I've seen Banksia growing outside at Kew, cant remember which ones though.

 

Pete , wich one you growing ?
It would be interesting to know between the Australian and the South African wich one is hardest of all .

 

http://coolexotics.com/articles/article-4-the-protea-family-proteaceae.html

Propagation



Proteas can be frustratingly difficult plants to propagate. Fresh seed often germinates well only for the seedlings to collapse after a few weeks. This is usually due to a fungal disease that blackens the foliage and eventually kills the young seedlings. Regular fungicide applications are important. Prick out the young seedlings into a coarse, free draining, unfertilised potting mix once they have their first true leaves.

Cultivars and selected forms must be propagated vegetatively. The usual method is firm semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and autumn. The success rate varies markedly; some cultivars, such as Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', strike quite easily while many others may be virtually impossible without professional equipment.

the winner to be the most cold tollerant goes to the Embothrium
a chilenian

 

I've given up with Embothrium after buying about 5 plants over the years and watching them slowly die on me.
I've got P, cynaroides growing outside next to the strelitzia so it gets the same winter treatment. Its not flowered this year and dont look like it will next year, so I might give up on it.
The space is too valuable.

I did grow this Banksia once but think it needed to get too big before flowering.

 

Three pages for you Sal; two about cuttings..................

http://www.elsenburg.com/info/els/032/032e.html

http://finebushpeople.co.za/Growing_Proteas_FAQ.html

One about growing from seed.............

http://protea.worldonline.co.za/growseed.htm

 

Wow Pete , that Banksia worth growing just for the leaves , now you raised another issue , will it actually worth growing proteaceas if they may not flowering?
See a protea in flower at Cambridge botanical garden , but that was indoor and in the cactus dry bed , means not a big fan of water .
so maybe it`s more the question of finding a water resistant that flower , rathen that a cold hardy variety ........maybe the answer it`s new zeland , lots of water and cold .