Have SOME experience with 3 1) Serruria lightly cover with soil. soil temp 64-75F taking 14-42 days to germinate 2) lightly cover with soil soil temp for germination (cooler than above) 43-54F hence fall planting 3)PRE TREATMENT scarify seed or soak in water for 12 hours THEN light cover soil temperature 64-75F taking 15-42 days to germinate

Hello....I am growing several in my greenhouse which I keep at 40 degrees or above in the winter both for the proteas and for some vireyas (tropical rhodies). I put them outside in their pots last summer and have had them out again as so as the nights didn't go below 45 although I did protect them from heavy rain until we got to really warm weather. I have 4 proteas: P. cynaroides, P.burchelli, Leucospermum cordifolium, Leucadendron uliginosum all started from seed from a starter pack from Finebushpeople.co.za I have a couple of books on growing proteas and they say that P.cynaroides (King Protea) is the best suited for greenhouse growing because it tolerates a wider range of moisture. I would think they could be grown indoors but they do get very large. Here in the pacific northwest there are a few leucodedrons which are grown outdoors in some of the more protected microclimates around Portland and probably also around Puget Sound. Happy protea growing. jwww

Joe, Brave of you to try these. I have been experimenting with protea from seed for some time. It's true that some seem to damp off the minute temperatures get high. But I think there is some variability, this year I have had a Protea subvestita seeding survive so far. Even though this summer in DC wasn't very hot, it was still much hotter and more humid than the alpine habitat of that species, which is probably something like 72/52f in the summer. Based on my analysis of the various summer rainful species, and my general experience growing SA plants, I'd also recommend you try Protea caffra, gazensis and simplex. But these, unlike P. repens, are summer-rainfall species and would be helped by building a winter rain shield if your area has heavy winter rains. Remember that phosphorus containing fertilizer will kill them, you probably already have read that but it's easy to be fertilizing a nursery tray and accidentally keep pouring. Good luck!

You're lookimg at a Mediterranian climate, dry summers and wetter winters. Temperatures do approach freezing but not all that often. They should be able to take short, light freezes, but not sit below freezing point for any length of time. The main worries with them is poor drainage, they're susceptible to root rots. And also over fertilisation. They usually come from nutrient poor soils that drain fast. Too much phosphorus can kill them so any fertiliser used for them should be low in "P". They grow very well in southern Australia because there's a lot of similarity with their native climate. Temperatures there can get below freezing but the days always warm up above. Summers get very hot, usually with low relative humidity.