Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' - This is a vigorous dense compact shrub to 5-6 feet tall and as wide with silver-edged green leaves. A male selection with flowers of round bright orange clusters surrounded by pale yellow and green bracts in spring. Plant in full sun in well-draining soil. Avoid phosphorus fertilizers. This selection is relatively hardy for a Leucadendron and should survive temperatures down to 26° F.
'Cloudbank Ginny' is a hybrid between Leucadendron discolor and Leucadendron gandogeri. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'leukos' meaning "white" and 'dendron' meaning tree in reference to the silver tree, Leucadendron argentum. Although long called 'Cloudbank Jenny' in the horticultural trade it, appears that this is an incorrect name for this cultivar. The originator of this hybrid, Mr. Colin Lennox, a Hawaiian nurseryman, named the plant in 1984 after Cloudbank, his nursery in Maui, and his wife Ginny. Most references list her name as Jenny but in Lewis Matthews' The Protea Book (Timber Press, 2002) Mr. Matthews notes that Mr. Lennox's wife's name was Ginny and corrects the name from what he had listed in his beautifully illustrated book "South African Proteaceae in New Zealand", written in 1983. This is a beautiful plant by any name!
The information about Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |