Leucadendron Cheeky

Leucadendron 'Cheeky' (Leucadendron 'Cheeky') is a compact shrub that does its best work in winter, when the bracts colour up red over yellow and hold for months. It reaches about 1.3m tall and 1m wide, small enough for a courtyard bed or a large pot. Coastal exposure, poor soil and long dry spells barely register.

Why you'll love it

• Colour in the off season. The red tipped bracts develop through autumn and stay bright right across winter, which is when most gardens go flat.
• A size that fits. At 1.3m by 1m it holds its shape without a hedge trimmer, so it suits small gardens and narrow beds.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerance and a tough leathery leaf mean it handles beachside wind where softer shrubs brown off.
• It prefers poor soil. No enriched beds and no rich fertiliser required. Sandy, gravelly ground is exactly what it wants.
• Long lasting cut stems. Cut branches last weeks in a vase, and cutting is also how you keep the bush compact.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a block of winter colour. Grouping is far more effective than dotting single plants through a bed.

Coastal gardens and feature planting. It takes salt laden wind on an exposed front garden, and a single plant reads well against pale render or stone.

Pots and small gardens. Use a 400mm or wider pot with a free draining mix. Container growing also gives you control over drainage, which is this plant's weak point.

Growing Leucadendron 'Cheeky' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day. It suits Mediterranean, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and takes light frost once established. Humid subtropical and tropical summers are the real limit, because sustained wet heat brings on root disease.

Soil. Sharp drainage is not negotiable. Plant on a raised mound in gravelly or sandy soil, and avoid compost or manure in the backfill. Wet feet kill more leucadendrons than cold ever will.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Feed lightly in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Standard garden fertiliser will damage the roots, so check the label before you use it.

Pruning. Cut stems back by about a third once the winter bracts fade, always leaving green leaves on each stem. It does not reliably reshoot from bare wood, so never cut back into leafless branches.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock, in packs of ten 140mm plants, or in packs of six 200mm plants. Tubes are the value option for a mass planting and catch up within two seasons. The 140mm and 200mm plants are already branched and give a quicker result in a bed or pot.

Leucadendrons travel well because the foliage is stiff and holds little moisture. Plant into a mound rather than a hollow, water in once, and resist the urge to keep watering. Expect winter bracts in the first or second season depending on size. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, and a 30 day healthy plant guarantee on every plant.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Which plants actually prefer poor soil
• Browse other low maintenance shrubs
• Compare plants suited to pots

Common questions

Why are the leaves yellowing?

Nine times out of ten it is phosphorus or wet soil. Switch to a low phosphorus native fertiliser and check that water is draining away rather than sitting around the roots.

Can I grow it in a humid climate?

It is difficult. Warm temperate coastal gardens work, but a humid subtropical summer raises the risk of root rot considerably. If you are in the subtropics, grow it in a pot where you control the mix.

How do I keep it compact?

Cut stems for the vase. Taking about a third of the length after the bracts fade keeps the bush dense, and it costs you nothing since the stems are worth having indoors.