Troy McGregor's free guide to protea care

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you have heard me mention Troy McGregor. I first met Troy when he was the manager of the nursery at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, a good 10 years ago. He was instrumental in growing what used to be a small plant sale area into a specialty nursery known all over Northern California for its excellent selection of succulents and water-wise plants, including a large variety of shrubs from Australia and South Africa. Since then, he’s established Gondwana Flora, a landscape design and build company specializing in climate-appropriate front yard transformations. Waltzing Matilija Nursery began in 2018 as an extension of Gondwana Flora. “I was unable to find many of the plants I love to landscape (and garden) with,” Troy said when I spoke with him last year, “so I started to grow my own. One thing leads to another and now here we are.”

Troy with Protea ‘Arctic Ice’

In 2021, Troy moved Waltzing Matilija to its current location, a ½ acre lot in Pittsburg. That’s Pittsburg without the “h,” a small city in California’s Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta. Waltzing Matilija focuses on southern hemisphere plants, including Australian natives like banksias, hakeas, proteas, grevilleas, acacias, and eucalyptus as well as South African shrubs like leucadendrons and leucospermums. Troy grows many plants from seed, and for quite a few rare Proteaceae, he is the only source in the country. The nursery isn’t open to the public, but you can shop to your heart’s content on the Waltzing Matilija website.

The Proteaceae family (informally referred to as “proteas”) includes some of the most spectacular shrubs you could have in your garden – think Protea, Leucadendron, and Leucospermum from South Africa as well as Banksia, Grevillea, and Hakea from Australia. They do have some special requirements you need to know in order to grow them successfully. Above all, they’re intolerant of phosphorus in the soil so general-purpose fertilizers can kill them.

To help customers maximize their success with proteas, Troy has written a handy guide that is easy to understand for both novices and more experienced gardeners alike:

The 30-page ebook has advice on choosing the right location, getting to know your soil, understanding how much water proteas need, best practices for planting, as well as information on container cultivation, fertilizer use, and pruning.

Best of all, Succeed with Proteaceae in Your Garden is free. You can download the PDF from the Waltzing Matilija website. Essentially, you pretend to buy it by clicking the Buy Now button, but since it’s free, no credit card information is required.

Troy’s ebook compiles everything you need to know about proteas in one handy resource. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in proteas or have any in your garden.

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