Protea rubropilosa, once established, is a wonderful species of protea to grow in the garden. It does seem to be tolerant of conditions different to its natural habitat as plants at Kirstenbosch receive no water through the summer months and lots of water during the winter months. I would think as long as plants receive enough water and have well-drained acidic sandy soils that they would grow well in other garden situations.

The Transvaal sugarbush is rather slow growing and 8 years after germination from seed plants will have reached 1,5m and flower for the first time. A long term investment! While young, plants only need to be lightly pruned to shape. If you are lucky enough to have mature plants with thick corky bark in your garden you can give them a hard prune to stimulate new growth and encourage side shoots along the trunk of the tree.

The best time to plant new plants into the garden is at the start of the rainy season. This enables plants to establish themselves and send down deep roots before the hot, dry, summer season. Protea rubropilosa requires a sunny situation with well-drained soil. In nature plants grow together in large open groups. If you have a large garden you can copy this by making an informal woodland together with other summer rainfall proteas. Adding bulbs and small perennials to the grassland beneath would create wonderful effect. P. rubropilosa can also be used in the traditional fynbos garden or planted as a feature specimen.

Propagate Protea rubropilosa from cuttings or seed. Neither option is easy but seed generally has a higher success rate than cuttings. Sow seeds in autumn or spring when the nights are cool and the days warm. Treat the seeds with a systemic fungicide and plant into open beds or seedling trays. Use a well-drained fynbos mix consisting of 1 part loam, 1 part bark, and 2 parts sand. Cover the seeds lightly with sand or fine bark. This species germinates after ± 28 days, after which the growth is incredibly slow. 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 ± 100-150 mm tall, they can be planted into the garden.

Take cuttings from the current season's growth once they reach the semi-hardwood stage. It is quite hard to find good cutting material as the stems are very thick, try to find pencil-thickness material if possible. The cuttings should be 100-150 mm long. Dip the cuttings into a rooting hormone and plant in a mixture of 50 % polystyrene and 50 % bark. Place the cuttings under intermittent mist with a bottom heat of 25°C and good air circulation. 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.

Protea rubropilosa is a relatively hardy protea and not susceptible to too many diseases and pests in a garden situation. The most important factor in preventing disease in proteas is to make sure the environmental conditions are correct. This includes getting direct sunlight for the most of the day, a well-drained soil where the soil does not stay saturated and stagnate, and good air circulation ensuring that the above-ground parts of the plant dry quickly after watering. It is also important to ensure that the soil stays cool in the hot months and roots are not disturbed by excessive digging. A thick layer of mulch or groundcover planting can be used to keep the soil cool and prevent moisture loss. If any of these factors are not correct, the plants become weakened and stressed and you will be sure to attract some form of pest or disease.