King Pink Protea's

Growing Kings – Our Journey with Proteas at G's Lane

There’s something truly majestic about a King Pink Protea. Native to South Africa, these bold, architectural blooms are a statement flower in every sense—growing up to a remarkable 30cm in diameter. And here at G’s Lane, we’re thrilled to share how ours have grown and flourished since we planted them in mid-2023.

In mid-2023, we planted a small trial of six Protea plants to “test the waters,” as they say. This included:

2 x King Pink Proteas
2 x Pink Ice Proteas
2 x Australis Ruby Proteas

They are planted on a slight sloping rise to encourage good drainage, and we gave generous spacing between each protea. This not only supports excellent airflow—essential for plant health—but also gives us the flexibility to introduce other beautiful plants between them over time, helping to build a more diverse and thriving ecosystem. The proteas were planted directly into the earth with just a small amount of garden soil mixed in for support.

For the first 12 months, they received weekly watering every Saturday, and from then on, they’ve relied entirely on what nature provides.

Over the past 15 months, the King Pink Proteas have become true standouts. We’ve picked about three flowers so far, and their size and beauty never fail to impress. Visiting guests often comment with excitement when they spot what they think is a new bud—though, more often than not, it turns out to be new leaves (a classic protea trick!).

Growing King Proteas truly is a practice in patience, but the payoff is undeniable.

In between the proteas, we’ve also had success with a lovely row of Paper Daisies. In the second season, we took a different approach—harvesting flower heads for seed and folding the remaining stems back into the bed. We then topped them with Esk dirt, which is quite heavy and tends to form a crust.

This year, that particular bed didn’t flower as prolifically, likely due to the heavier soil topping. However, another bed—where we used the harvested seeds—has done very well. So for 2026, we plan to top the folded Paper Daisies with a lighter garden soil to encourage better seed germination.

From Six to Seventy-Two

Fast forward to the end of our 2025 planting season, and we’re now proud to say we have 72 Protea plants in the ground. We’ve even started our first experiment in propagating Pink Ice from cuttings—though it’s early days and not much to report on just yet.

Our journey with Proteas has been all about steady steps, close observation, and adapting along the way. Every new bud, every bloom, every small success feels like a victory.

Looking Ahead

With eyes toward 2026, we’re planning for another expansion. There’s still so much to learn, but the excitement never fades—especially when you see a King Pink Protea standing tall in the paddock, in a league of its own.

Until next time,
The team at G’s Lane