Sugarbush
Protea repens
Flowers so full of nectar that Cape cooks once boiled it down to bossiestroop, a syrup for pancakes.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 10 ft tall, 8 ft wide
From: Western and Eastern Cape, South Africa
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: pollinators, wildlife.
Native to: Cape of South Africa. Hardy in zones 9 to 10.
The story
Sugarbush flowers brim with nectar. The Khoekhoe drank it, and Cape settlers shook the flower heads into pots and boiled the nectar down into bossiestroop, bush syrup. A folk song, Suikerbossie, is named for it.
Planting
Full sun, moving air and acid, sandy, well-drained soil that is poor in nutrients.
Growing
Never use ordinary fertilizer: phosphorus kills proteas. Mulch with bark and do not dig around the roots.
Harvest and use
Cream to deep pink goblets from autumn to spring for sugarbirds, sunbirds and beetles. Excellent cut flowers.
What to watch for
Phosphorus, root disturbance and humid, wet summers.
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home