Protea repens [red]

Birdies & bees swoon over this spectacular, super easy, extremely reliable & long lived 8' x 6' shrub. Way back in the late 1600's, European settlers in South Africa collected the abundant nectar from the flowerheads, which they boiled down into a thick red syrup used as a sugar substitute and cough medicine - thus the common name "Sugarbush". Blooms Fall through Winter with red flowerheads. A cut flower rockstar! As blooms dry out and brown, seedheads bear resemblance to upside down ice cream cones. Sweet! Free draining, acidic soil is best. If you have clay soil, amend with rotted pine needles, or something else that is both nutrient poor & acidifying. Avoid feeding with anything with phosphorus, as this is a sure fire way to kill the plant. Once established, it is a drought tolerant, low care, disease free beauty and tolerant of sun and wind and impervious to deer. From South Africa, of course. Hardy to 25 °F.