We are a small but expanding protea growing nursery, situated just east of Pretoria Gauteng, 17 km north east of Cullinan, near the Mpumalanga border. Just beyond the Doornkraal region lies the Klipfontein and DeTweedespruit regions, both of which also support Protea farmers.
Established in 2007, Robiq Proteas started with a few species of Proteaceae which were already well adapted to the climatic conditions prevailing in the area. Given that the wild P. caffra grows naturally in the area, it was expected that commercially grown Proteas too would do well in the slightly acidic soil that is found in the area.
The varieties that we started with included the Sylvia, Susara, Neriifolia, Repens, King, Venetia, Moonshine and Liebencherry. Together with the Proteas we also planted a variety of Leucadendrons, including Safari Sunset, Long Tom, Blush, Pisa, Carlin, Tonia and Jubilee Crown. The one species of Leucospermum most suitable to our area is the Scarlet Ribbon of which we have some plants. Both the Protea and Leucadendron species have been added to, and each year we plan on increasing both the quantities and the varieties so as to offer a wider range of flowers and plants to the public.
We operate as a nursery selling directly to the public, as well as supplying commercial nurseries in the cities. Quantities of plants available varey throughout the year, and large orders of over 300 per species requires prebooking, so that the necessary cuttings can be prepared for the propagation of rooted plants. The process of producing well rooted cuttings takes at least 7 months.
Many people find it strange and hard to believe that Proteas grow outside of the Western Cape Fynbos region. They are grown in various countries throughout the world, and do well in Gauteng, Northern Province and Natal. South Africa remains however, the dominant region for the Proteaceae family in Africa, having by far the largest variety of Proteas growing naturally in the veld. Australia has the greatest number of species of Proteaceae in the world. Africa is the second most species-rich region in the world.
While our main focus is on producing well rooted plants for nurseries, farmers and gardeners, we also supply cut flowers in season. The availability of stock of both plants and cut flowers is determined by the season.