Other Names:  Sugarbush

Description:

These shrubs are known for their large, long blooming, thistle shaped flowers; reddish-pink tones on petals with lavender and cream centers; plant in full sun with plenty of drainage; younger plants not as tolerant of cold

Ornamental Features

Sylvia Protea features bold pink cup-shaped flowers with red overtones, creamy white eyes and lavender centers at the ends of the branches from late fall to late winter. It has attractive olive green evergreen foliage which emerges green in spring. The narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain olive green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Sylvia Protea is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sylvia Protea is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Sylvia Protea will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.