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Shrubs

Telopea 'Emperor's Torch'

waratah 'Emperor's Torch'

An half-hardy evergreen shrub to around 2.5m high, with an upright habit and lance-shaped, dark green leaves to 20cm long. Showy flowerheads are borne at the tips of the stems in spring, each with many tubular, curving red flowers surrounded by a ring of red bracts

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Proteaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Telopea are large, evergreen shrubs or small trees with leathery leaves and large, colourful flowers borne at the ends of the branches
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

In mild, frost free areas, may be grown outdoors in sandy, slightly acid soil in a sunny, sheltered position. In areas prone to frosts, grow under glass in a peat-free, loam-based compost with added sharp sand, in bright, filtered light. Water freely in growth and sparingly in winter

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe or leaf-bud cuttings with bottom heat in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Sub-tropical
Conservatory and greenhouse
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 8

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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