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Proteas always take centre stage in a floral arrangement. Their raw beauty commanding attention is sometimes softened by the likes of lisianthus, roses, baby’s breath or florists’ gum.
Years back it was difficult to picture the protea, the oldest of flowers on the planet, without imagining Table Mountain as their backdrop.
But there is a secret to growing proteas away from the Western Cape. And in the wispy mist around Glen Avon farm, among the timber plantations outside Stutterheim, there is no hope of keeping it hushed.
The 10 men and 10 women team who labour on Glen Avon farm must know about it as there is never a quiet moment in the flower fields. So says their boss, Jordan Lentz.
It’s these sounds of gentle banter and laughter from the workers in the flower fields which I most enjoy
“It’s these sounds of gentle banter and laughter from the workers in the flower fields which I most enjoy,” Jordan said.
“This, and of course the event of the flower prices being good.”
The terrain of Glen Avon 10km from Stutterheim offered the perfect growing conditions for members of the Proteaceae family as it resides in a mist belt with good soil for growing these sought-after flowers.
“The area under proteas at Glen Avon is 12ha with a further 4ha prepared for development later this year, which is in wait for cuttings in the nursery to root.
“At the end of last year, 33,000 plants were growing including Protea cynaroides [King Protea], Leucospermum [pincushions], Leucadendron [colourful foliage] and Argenteum. Argenteum [silver leaf tree] is exported to Japan.”
Jordan’s favourite proteas are the King and Queen protea.
He said the Lentz family had been involved in various forms of agriculture for a “very long time”.
Their enterprise was started in 2003 by Jordan’s father, Julius, after the family decided that flowers provided a much quicker return on investment than growing timber, something they had been doing since the 60s.
Where is their market?
“We sell mostly to retail outlets in East London, King William’s Town [Qonce], Stutterheim and to customers directly from the farm.
“A bonus is that the flowering times at Glen Avon are different to other producers.”
What is a typical work week on the farm?
It all depends on the weather. Monday is harvesting day, Tuesday, a bunch and pack day, Wednesdays and Thursday are taken up with deliveries.
There is ongoing silviculture in both the flower fields and nursery.
“If it is raining, we can’t cut or if the plants are wet, as there is the chance of diseases forming in the cut stems.
“The chores in spring and summer include weeding, which is time consuming.”
If planting proteas at home in a domestic environment consider how they would grow in their natural habitat.
Pointers from the Arnelia Nursery are:
• Provide a slightly acidic, nutrient poor, well drained soil preferably on a slope.
• Choose a site which is in full sun throughout the day. Sunlight is needed to produce flowers and colourful leaves.
• Dig a planting hole twice the size of the container. Do not use bone meal or superphosphate or add fertiliser or compost to the soil.
Bear in mind that proteas are nutrient ’oholics. They cannot control their gorging on nutrients in fertiliser and tend to overdo it, to the detriment of their plant growth.
In nature, the soil where they grow naturally is lacking so their roots have evolved to be able to extract their “food” from the poorest of soils.
Add peat or pine bark to the soil to make it more acidic.
Proteas do not like their roots to be disturbed after and during planting.
The reason is that the roots grow horizontally under the soil surface, making them sensitive to activity around the plant.
For this reason, do not plant other plants around them and try to keep this area weed free.
Pull out weeds by hand before they develop strong root systems. Cut off weeds with larger roots at ground level if you believe they will interfere with the protea plant.
The best time for planting proteas is in March and September.
Be careful in your selection of plants. Set the plant away from others around it on the nursery floor when choosing a plant to enable you to make sure that it has healthy all-round growth and is preferably 15cm to 30cm high.
Check that the leaves are disease free. Young plants are your best bet for transplanting.
Remember that proteas are not immediately drought resistant on planting.
In summer, water them daily or every second day for the first 18 to 20 months. In their natural habitat they obtain water from mountain mists.
Take care not to water the plant from above, rather wet them at soil level.
Mulch around them with pine bark chips or wood chips to keep the moisture in the soil.
Pruning is done to remove branches growing on the ground or those which are pointed towards the ground.
A few months after planting, cut off the growth tips of the plant to encourage them to bush out.
In August, after you have planted the protea, cut back two or three main stems. Then after it has flowered, once a year.
• In the Garden is written by feature writer, garden enthusiast and former teacher Julia Smith, who has returned home to live in Chintsa East. The column aims to inform novice and accomplished gardeners on how to make the most of their green patches.
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