Protea nerifolia
The blue sugarbush - growing information and pictures.
Protea nerifolia is probably one of the most widely grown and easily recognised proteas, but its
beauty is often overlooked because of it's 'commonness'. It has such a widespread occurrence because
it is a wonderfully adaptable plant.
The Protea Nerifolia (from now on referred to as the neri) is not a small plant. It can grow up to 3m in height and 2m in width
and as a result can be used as a screening plant in your garden or as a wind-break. It grows in areas between 0-1300m above
sea-level, so can be grown in coastal gardens or higher up in more mountainous areas. It's popularity can probably be
attributed to the fact that it is so adaptable. It adapts to most soil types - unlike many of the proteas, the neri even survives in
the dreaded alkaline soils. It is also resistant to most diseases and is quite frost resistant. It can cope with wet conditions and
can also grow in some heavier clay soils. It is happiest in sandstone, in a sunny position, in well-drained soil and where the
temperature does not drop below -5 degrees Celsius.
The neri is also commonly known as "Oleanderleaf Protea" or "Blousuikerbos" which for those of our fine bush friends who
don't understand afrikaans, translates to "Bluesugarbush". Sugarbush is a term often used instead of Protea. The neri falls into
the group of 'bearded sugarbushes'.
The neri is an erect shrub, with a trunk diameter of up to 400mm. Once mature the stems are hairless. The leaves and flowers
can vary in color, shape and size. The leaves are oblong, quite long (up to 150mm) curving upwards, hairless once mature and
vary between bright green and blue-green in color. Some northern forms have the blue-green leaves.
The flowers all have a distinctive 'beard' forming at the tips of the bracts which ranges in color from black to brown to creamy.
The flowers themselves also vary in color from cream to pale pink to deep pink to wine red, the most common color being
deep pink.
The flowers are usually at the end of a long stem and are ideal as cut-flowers and last really well in a vase or
bouquet. The flowers vary in size from 60mm-150mm and also in shape from cone-shaped to oblong. On a mature bush you
could find flowers all through the year, although the official flowering season is from autumn to spring. In this, it is also a
valuable plant for an ornamental garden as often gardens lack color during the winter months.
The neri does benefit from regular pruning to prevent it from becoming straggly and also old flower heads should be removed.
For more on pruning proteas, visit our page on
Pruning Proteas.
Dried neris are also very attractive and if you remove the dried bracts you're left with what is known as a 'rosette' which is
lovely in a dried arrangement.