Leucadendron Summer Sun - Conebush

The Leucadendron hybrid ‘Summer Sun’ is a beautiful South African evergreen bush that is very floriferous, but frost-sensitive and a bit delicate to cultivate. In spring, it is adorned with singular inflorescences, evoking stars, composed of tough pastel yellow bracts, surrounding a large heart composed of tiny orange-red flowers. They bloom on silky green leaves, soft to the touch. Increasingly used in contemporary or Mediterranean inspired compositions, especially by the sea, Leucadendrons are very graphic bushes that are preferably cultivated in large pots in cooler regions as it will be imperative to store them away from the first frosts.

The Leucadendron ‘Summer Sun’ is a horticultural hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding between L. laureolum and L. strobilinum. All these plants belong to the proteaceae family and are native to the Cape province, in South Africa. Just like proteas, leucadendrons are strange plants in every respect. For example, they need fire to germinate their seeds however, unlike proteas, male and female plants are distinct. 'Summer Sun' forms a dense, bushy, vigorous shrub, quickly reaching 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in all directions. Multiple stems emerge from a stump capable of regenerating after fire. They carry evergreen leaves, ovate to elliptical, pointed at their end, covered with silky hairs. The flowering generally takes place from March to May in th Northern Hemisphere. The small orange-red flowers, arranged in globular inflorescences, are surrounded by numerous conspicuous bracts, organized in stars, whose colour changes over time from tender green to pale yellow. 

The Leucadendron ‘Summer Sun’ is an original and elegant plant of very mild climates and poor soils. It will prefer to be planted in coastal gardens spared by heavy frosts, in light, mineral, rather acidic soil. Particularly suited to the Mediterranean climate with long summers, it does not disdain the slightly cooler soils of the south of our Atlantic coast. It will look good on its own, on large slopes or at the back of exotic beds, but always in an open location, in full sun. In an exotic garden, it can be combined with plants that appreciate the same growing conditions: the Canary Island Viperine, the Protea royal, the Euphorbia characias, the Nolina siberica, the Great Ferula, the Yucca rigida, the Melianthus major, or moderate growth palm trees like the Blue Palm of Mexico (Brahea armata). In New Zealand, the flowers are very popular in floristry because they last a long time in bouquets while bringing fantastic shape and colours.