The family was named after
Proteus, a Greek god capable of changing his shape at will. It includes
some 60 genera and 1400 species of Southern Hemisphere plants, the bulk
of which are native to southern Africa and Australia with the remainder
coming from South America and many of the Pacific islands. These unique flowers are great for bouquets or wreaths. Fairly easy to grow they prefer slightly more acidic soil than normal, excellent drainage and do not like phosphorus. The ideal fertilizer is Cotton Seed Meal because it provides both acidity and low phosphorus. Some varieties are hardier than others. We carry the following varieties at our nursery: Protea '7/11', Protea 'Brenda', Protea laurifolia 'White Owl', Protea 'Pink Ice', Protea 'Rose Mink'
