Leucadendron galpinii Carlin - Conebush

Leucadendron galpinii 'Carlin' is a large and beautiful South African bush, still rare in cultivation, that should be possible to acclimatise to mild coastal gardens, particularly in the Mediterranean region.  It is a cousin of Proteas, with which it shares a preference for poor soils that stay dry in summer, and full sun. This female selection is distinguished by a very upright habit, fine evergreen foliage of a very bright grey-blue, and original spring flowering in the shape of small silver cones. This plant is not very hardy (down to -5°C (23 °F) at the most). It withstands sea spray as well as summer drought perfectly, but its cultivation is delicate in soil that is too rich.

Leucadendron Carlin comes from Leucadendron galpinii, a large bush native to the Western Cape in South Africa. In the wild it is found in valleys surrounded by limestone hills, on fairly deep sandy-loamy soils with a neutral pH. In the Cape region, leucadendrons are an essential part of the fynbos biome, a thin coastal and mountainous zone characterised by a Mediterranean climate. These bushes are dioecious, which means there are distinct male and female plants.

Galpin's Leucadendron is a woody and branching plant from the Proteaceae family. The 'Carlin' cultivar is a female clone which reaches up to 3 m (10 ft) in height and 1.50 m (5 ft) in spread in open ground and under favourable conditions. Its growth is quite fast. The upright stems bear single and thick leaves arranged in a spiralled manner, narrowly elliptical in shape, covered with silky hairs. They sometimes turn red in winter due to the cold. From April to June (depending on the climate) the bush produces scaly inflorescences shaped like small cones, of a silver colour, at the end of the stems. These are surrounded by a ruff of small pointed bracts, thick and leathery, more or less tinged with violet. These flowers are very popular in floristry due to their excellent vase life.

Leucadendron galpinii 'Carlin' is a fantastic textural accent plant leaves no-one indifferent. Ideally installed in a coastal garden spared from heavy frosts, in light soil with a sandy or loamy tendency, poor in nitrates and phosphorus. It will make a sensation on its own, in a windbreak hedge, or in the back of dry garden beds. In an exotic themed garden it can be combined with Dasylirion, Grevillea, Callistemon, the Canary Viperine, palm trees or even Leptospermum. In a less favourable climate, collectors of exotic plants can grow it in a pot, to store over winter like a citrus.