The silver pink flowers of S. rosea combine very well with shades of grey and white in the garden. Plants like Thamnochortus cinereus, Syncarpha argyropsis, Erica baueri subsp. gouriquae and Adenandra uniflora would all make good combinations.

The rose spiderhead will grow well in a fynbos garden provided you can give it the following: a well-drained sandy acidic soil that, once planted, is disturbed as little as possible, good air circulation (preferably due to wind), and direct sunlight for most of the day. If drainage is a problem in your garden try to build a slope or incorporate a rockery and plant your fynbos along it.

Serrurias will get sick and die if the environmental conditions mentioned above are not correct. Once the plants are weakened they are very prone to attack from fungi, specifically the root rot Phytophthora.

Serrurias are not long-lived plants and will require replacing every few years. One way to prolong their life is by pruning. We have found that plants grown at Kirstenbosch have remained compact and neat, due to pruning for cutting material each year. This also stimulates new growth and more flowering, as each new shoot will produce another cluster of flower heads.

Do not prune more than one-third of the bush and always make sure there is plenty of leafy growth left behind. Plants do need to be pruned from the planting stage, as pruning old plants that are already long and woody is not effective.

Watering is best done in the morning, so the plant has time to dry off before the heat of the midday sun. If plants are watered in very hot conditions the water droplets can magnify the suns rays and scorch the leaves, as well as creating ideal conditions for fungi and bacteria to grow. Applying a thick layer of mulch will keep the soil cool and moist for longer.

Serrurias do not require large amounts of feeding. Incorporate a small quantity of well-rotted compost at planting and feed twice a year with a fertilizer specifically formulated for fynbos plants.

Serruria rosea can be propagated from cuttings or seed but cuttings have a much higher success rate than seeds.

Make cuttings from December to March (summer to autumn). The cuttings should be taken from the current season's growth and measure 30-70 mm long. Dip the cuttings into a rooting hormone solution or hormone powder and plant into a medium of 50% polystyrene and 50% finely milled bark. Place in a growing house with bottom heat (25ºC) and intermittent mist. Once the roots are well developed, remove from the mist unit and harden off for three weeks. Plant the cuttings into small bags and grow on until ready to plant into the garden.

Sow seed in April when the days are warm and the nights start to cool down (late summer to autumn). Give the seed a smoke treatment. Dust the seed with a systemic fungicide. Sow on a well-drained medium consisting of 1 part loam, 1 part bark, and 2 parts sand, firm down and cover with a layer of sand or finely milled bark. Seed can be sown in a seed tray placed in a sunny position.

Germination begins after three to four weeks. Once two true leaves have grown, prick the seedlings out into small bags. Place the seedlings in a lightly shaded area with good air circulation. When plants are ± 50-100 mm tall, or after one year's growth, they can be planted into the garden. Nipping out the tips of the seedlings will encourage branching and produce a neater shrub.

The best time to place the young plants in the garden is just before the rainy season. This enables plants to establish themselves and send down deep roots before the hot, dry, summer season.