Adenandra uniflora grows best when planted in full sun and needs adequate water during the hot summer months. It requires a soil that is well drained, composted and enriched with a well-balanced fertilizer (3:2:1). It is slow growing and needs space in the garden bed to allow it to develop to its full potential without being squashed by other faster growing plants.

Buchu naturally occurs in mixed fynbos and ideally should be used in this way in a garden. Plant the china flower with companion plants such as restios, pelargoniums, Helichrysum, Phylica, Euryops, Felicia and Leonotis. It can be grown as a border plant, planted in masses or planted in a pot where its immaculate flowers can be admired at close range.

Like other fynbos plants, planting buchus in your garden is best done after the first good winter rains, (May to July at the Cape). Buchus respond to fairly dense plantings, which help to retain soil moisture. An annual mulching of well-rotted compost is advised, to reduce weeds and keep the soil temperature low.

Buchus can be grown from seed or cuttings. Fresh buchu seed is sown in autumn. The seed are sown into a tray containing a well-drained medium of equal portions of sand, loam and compost. Use some of the medium to cover the seed and water. Place in a covered area with good light and air circulation. Keep medium damp. Germination occurs in 1 to 2 months.

Young seedlings are pricked out into 0.5 litre bags containing a fynbos medium, when four true leaves have developed. Pinch out the growing tips of the seedlings to encourage bushy growth. Flowers are produced after two years.

Cuttings have the advantage of producing a larger flowering plant quicker than seedlings. Tip cuttings, 50-70 mm, are taken from the current year's growth. Prepare cuttings by making a clean cut below the node and remove a third of the foliage. Dip the base of the cutting in a rooting hormone. Firmly place the cuttings in a medium of 50% bark and 50 % polystyrene. Ideally these cuttings should now be placed in a well-aerated propagation unit with a bottom heat of 24° C. Rooting occurs in 9 to 11 weeks. Carefully pot the rooted cuttings using a well-drained, humus-rich fynbos-potting medium (2 parts leaf mould, 1 part coarse sand). Plants will be ready for planting in 7 to 8 months. Feed regularly with a well-balanced nutrient. Yellow leaves can be treated with an application of iron chelate.