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Leucospermum 'Phil Parvin' - A medium sized upright shrub growing 4 to 6 feet tall by 4 feet wide with gray-green leaves and large flower heads produced on long 2-foot stems from mid fall through mid-summer (November through August) in Hawaii - the flowering period in California gardens has yet to be determined. The flower heads are nearly 6 inches wide, with dark orange red styles that are yellow at their base and pink at the tips.
This plant is new to cultivation in California in 2019 but based on other similar varieties, standard cultural practices used on other pincushions should apply; we recommend planting in full sun in a well-drained soil with only occasional irrigation once established and mulched to keep the soil cool and retain moisture. It should prove drought tolerant once established and cold hardy to about 25 degrees F. A general preference of this group for acidic soils may justify amending the soil or the application of soil sulfur. Fertilizers should be time release and very low in phosphorus but contain the trace elements Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese and Copper. This variety has flowers that have been described as "psychedelic in appearance" and "truly without equal!", with reddish flowers on long 2-foot stems that have a 17-day vase life.
Leucospermum 'Phil Parvin' is a selection made by Ken Leonhardt and Pam Shingaki at the University of Hawaii in 2000 and was named and registered in 2007 to honor Dr. Phil Parvin, an early was a pioneer in research on proteas and other ornamental plants at the University of Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station on Maui. Dr. Parvin is often called the "father of the Hawaiian protea industry" and worked with these plants for 25 years until retiring in 1993 as the Fynos Genebank Trust Professor at the University of Hawaii. This plant is part of the Royal Hawaiian Series introduced by Ball Horticulture/ Star Roses and Plants, which also includes Leucospermum 'Blanche Ito' and 'Brandi Dela Cruz'. Also included in the series is Leucospermum 'Helena', a plant that was previously introduced by the University of Hawaii as Leucospermum 'Goldfinger' and we continue to grow it under the original name. We sold Leucospermum 'Phil Parvin' from 2020 to 2022.
This information about Leucospermum 'Phil Parvin' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate 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 that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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