Comments on: Red Pincushion Protea (Leucospermum cordifolium)

By: chicago signs

chicago signs — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:34:57 +0000

I actually live near that intersection right now and it’s a pretty decent area, though overrun with hipsters. But there are a lot of good bars and food places too. There’s a florist near that corner and at first I thought that’s the one you were referring to until I read that you saw it was closed. I wonder if it’s possible they simply moved a few doors down North Ave? Also about a year ago I bought some of these Proteas downtown near the Sears tower. There was a farmer’s market going on there at the time and I really liked the Proteas when I saw them but had forgotten what they were called so I was really glad to have found this post.

By: jim wardle

jim wardle — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:11:50 +0000

Some sourses say not to usse any Potash fertilizers on Proteas, whats your opionion.

By: Timothy Mills

Timothy Mills — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:36:24 +0000

I love all the Protea variations. I first found them when we lived in Evanston in the late 80s and early 90s. There was a florist/flower shop called Flowers, Flowers that carried all sorts of interesting and non-traditional flowers. They opened a second shop in Chicago, but I don’t recall where it was located. Was this the shop where you first found Protea?

By: corbin

corbin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:52:51 +0000

Hey bill, you should visit the arboretum at UCSC in a month or so; the flowers grow outside there, and are quite cool to look at.

Some pics I snapped last year: http://picasaweb.google.com/corbin.dunn/UCSCArboretum08#

My dad also used to grow pincushions and other proteas at our house in corralitos (Santa Cruz county). Most did quite well in the climate, but some died off during heavy frosts. I hope to eventually grow some of my own at my house in Los Gatos. Add it to my list of hobbies

corbin

By: VogonPoet

VogonPoet — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:17:35 +0000

The Red Pincushion Protea is part of the Western Cape (South Africa) Fynbos floral kingdom. Fynbos is quite fascinating. It is the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms (Phytochorion), but also the most diverse per unit area: Over 9000 species in in an area about 46,000 km² in size.

By: bbum

bbum — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:40:42 +0000

Wasn’t that vague — if we had lived there just two years before, it was quite the crack haven with a lot of gang activity. That still existed but had been pushed further S-SE from the 6 way intersection. I have run into people that were completely aghast to hear we lived there until they realized it was no longer the same den of nastiness they remembered!

Unfortunately, Google street view reveals that some random bank took over where the florist was at that corner. it was truly an awesome place. Beyond exotic flowers all the time, they also sold pure flower essence extracts. My favorite was lily of the valley at about a 100x concentration.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:26:16 +0000

You made me realize my previous comment was vague. I meant the traffic at that intersection is nasty; I didn’t mean the neighborhood itself. It’s definitely a fun part of town as long as you can ignore or tolerate the annoying hipsters that are all over the neighborhood these days. And yes, MTV did a season of The Real World in that neighborhood, and I’ve read that the neighbors didn’t take too kindly to their presence, which resulted in MTV not showing too many exterior shots of the house due to protestors, signage and whatnot.

I have yet to visit NYC, but it’s cool to know that part of town reminds you of that city.

By: bbum

bbum — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:27:32 +0000

@Mike We lived at that particular intersection after the gentrification had began but before MTV ruined it with one of their stupid reality shows. It was actually a really nice neighborhood. Gritty, certainly, but with some amazing restaurants (Soul Kitchen, Absinthe, the corner dog place , bars (Lemmings, Map Room, place that begins with an A that was a beatnik bar in the ’60s), and the L was right there. Felt a lot like New York City, only a heck of a lot quieter at night. Only heard gunshots once and that was, apparently, someone doing a poor job putting their dog down.

By: annbb

annbb — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:59:47 +0000

Wonderful photos. And it certainly does morph into a carnivorous-looking creature!

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:40:02 +0000

Ah, you lived right by the Double Door! That infamous intersection is nasty.

The pics are nice. I take it you used the MP-E 65mm for these?