De Wet Plant Breeders, based at CND NURSERY and The ALOE FARM, have improved the very important indigenous shrub Tecomaria capensis in an extensive breeding program in order to make it more useful in the commercial and domestic garden setting. It’s always very exciting when new plants are introduced into the nursery industry especially if the new improved varieties are indigenous and bred by South Africans for South African climatic conditions. Tecomaria are popular flowering shrubs, because they are tough, versatile and extremely useful in sunny gardens. The new SunLovers® range of compact Tecomaria are particularly exciting because they are extremely floriferous, and their flower colours are brighter and more distinct. The individual flowers of these varieties show off much better as they are more upright and thus face you better. This makes the overall appearance more colourful as the flower spikes protrude above the foliage of the shrub. The compact nature of this set is a tremendous achievement in Tecomaria breeding, as gardens are becoming smaller and require compact, more showy plants. Tecomaria have to date been less suitable in commercial landscapes as they overrun every other plant in the same setting and require a lot of cutting back and the removing of runners.
The new SunLovers® Compact Tecomaria were bred to be more suitable for commercial gardens as their contained growth habits retain shape longer, enabling the retention of the original garden design. A massive secondary benefit of using these novelties, is the reduction in labour required in their maintenance, making them much more cost effective in the long run.Â
These beautiful SunLovers® Tecomaria are available in 5 colours.Â
Compact gold
The smallest of the set and a little slower than the others, the standout feature of this cultivar is its unique bright golden flower heads above its attractive dark green foliage.
Compact orange
It’s vigorous, extremely floriferous and has very bright orange colour and sets a new benchmark for Tecomaria.
Compact pink
Compact, floriferous. Just simply beautiful.
Compact red
Great new plant, as all the old red varieties have been too tall and wild for normal gardens.
Compact yellow
Compact, floriferous plant with bright yellow upright flower heads. Care was taken during the breeding to ensure that the new varieties still contribute to the environment and do not lose their ability to attract birds and insects. Tecomaria should always be planted in full sun or light shade, they like rich well-drained soil and require moderate watering. In very cold climates they can be frosted down to the ground, mulching will protect the base enough for the plants to regrow and flower in summer. SunLovers® Compact Tecomaria are perfect for sunny South African gardens as they are free flowering, fast and easy. They respond very well to feeding and cutting back; and are resistant to most pests and diseases.
