Really pleased with this Protea cynaroides ‘Little Prince’. It’s a king protea, flowers the same size, but more compact plant and for me more floriferous. I’ve had it for about 4 years and it’s flowered every year and this year it has an amazing 9 flowers; all on a relatively small plant. Superb.
I’ve had another king protea (standard form) for 20 years and its flowered once in the first couple of years and never since. The standard king is longer and more straggly.
Every garden should have one. Cut it back in Spring or after flowering in Autumn , superb for bees and butterflies .
And a lovely weekend to you as well
The trouble is the seeds go everywhere!
It’s is lovely.
Phil
One of my bucket list desires is to go to South Africa and instead of elephants and leopards , photograph proteas and sunbirds.
This is Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed), the dried leaves were formerly used to make snuff and it was inhaled to cause sneezing that would supposedly rid the body of evil spirits:
And good for pollinators in Autumn
Much to certain people’s disapproval , I have left mint to run rampant @ the back of the house. A combination of laziness and wanting to help pollinators. Been rewarded with masses of flowers over a long time and oodles of bees and a humming bird moth
Winter flowering crocus orphei. Very difficult one to flower properly. It needs sun and a little warmth to open it’s flower. Too cold, which it is at this time of year, or no sun and it won’t open. Too warm and it keels over. Sometimes, I don’t know why I bother, but when it flowers, I do.
Nearly there. It has been so cold that they have been at this stage for a week. Always the first thing to bloom.
Narcissi var unknown.
Been there forever. Very oppressive perfume so they stay where they are.
Bryophyllum aka mother of thousands.
Never had one flower before.
You can see some of the thousands ready to drop and grow in any other pot within 5ft.
Continuing plant tidying. Ready for the Spring.
Echveria var unknown.
Flowers a little nondescript but hey it’s a January flower.
Orichidaceae var Lego.
Needs very little feeding or water.
….but will need to be dusted 
