• Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
  • Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
  • Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
  • Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
  • Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
  • Leucospermum 'Tango': A Fiery Orange Red Pincushion - Bonte Farm
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Bonte Farm

Leucospermum 'Tango': Showstopping Orange Pincushion Bush for Hummingbirds

Leucospermum 'Tango': Showstopping Orange Pincushion Bush for Hummingbirds

$55.00 USD
$55.00 USD
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Leucospermum 'Tango': The Showstopping Orange-Tipped Pincushion

The Leucospermum 'Tango' is a magnificent and unique Pincushion Protea hybrid (Leucospermum genus) renowned for its striking flower form and intense, vibrant coloring.1 This visually dramatic evergreen shrub is a highly popular landscape and cut flower choice, producing abundant, large, dome-shaped blooms.2 These flowers are especially unique, featuring styles that are bright yellow at the base and deepen dramatically to a vivid red-orange at the tips, creating a fiery, dynamic color display that truly stands out. 'Tango' is an excellent, medium-sized specimen plant for adding unforgettable color and architectural texture to Mediterranean, coastal, and xeriscape gardens.3 Its robust, naturally neat habit, superior drought tolerance, and profuse flowering make it a reliable and low-maintenance choice, yielding superb, strong-stemmed long-lasting cut flowers and acting as a powerful magnet for nectar-feeding birds.4

Botanical Characteristics

Characteristic

Detail

Scientific Name

Leucospermum 'Tango' (Hybrid Cultivar)

Common Names

Tango Pincushion, Orange-Tipped Pincushion.

Growth Habit

A sturdy, mounding evergreen shrub with a dense, rounded, and naturally bushy habit, ideal for borders.

Foliage

Features leathery, dark green leaves with blunt or toothed tips, providing a clean, handsome texture.

Flowers

Large, round, distinctive Pincushion flower heads, typically 4–5 inches in diameter. Color is a luminous yellow-orange bi-color—yellow base with intense red-orange tips.

Flowering Season

Known for its extended and reliable bloom period, typically flowering heavily from late winter through spring, providing essential cool-season warmth.

Cut Flower Use

Premier professional-grade cut flower, highly valued for its strong stems, high yield, and dramatic, contrasting colors.

Mature Size

'Tango' is a moderate-sized shrub that provides excellent coverage and structure.5

  • Height: Typically reaches 4–5 feet (1.2–1.5 meters) tall.
  • Spread: Achieves a dense, manageable spread of 4–6 feet (1.2–1.8 meters) wide.
  • Its size is perfect for creating a bold, structural focal point.

USDA Hardiness Zone

This Leucospermum hybrid is best suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 9–11. It requires a mild, nearly frost-free climate and thrives in full sun, performing exceptionally well in sunny, dry-summer regions. It is intolerant of sustained freezing temperatures.

Cultivation and Care

Aspect

Care Instructions

Sunlight

Requires full sun (a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun daily) and excellent air circulation to ensure strong stems and maximum bloom production.

Soil

Essential: Demands perfectly well-drained, acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.0). Thrives in sandy, gritty, low-nutrient soils and must not sit in heavy, wet clay.

Water

Highly drought-tolerant once established. Water deeply during the first year. Mature plants require minimal summer water; overwatering is the primary threat.

Fertilizer

Crucial: ABSOLUTELY AVOID all phosphorus fertilizers. Proteaceae are extremely phosphorus-sensitive. Use a specialized, low-phosphorus formula or skip fertilizing entirely.

Pruning

Mandatory: The best pruning is achieved by harvesting the flowers heavily deep into the bush. This encourages new growth from the base and maintains a dense, productive shape.

Landscape Use

  • Specimen Plant: Used as a highly colorful, central focal point due to its dramatic flower colors.6
  • Mass Planting: Excellent when planted in groups to create a high-impact block of color.
  • Cut Flower Garden: Grown specifically for its professional-grade, high-yield, long-lasting floral stems.
  • Xeriscape Design: A cornerstone, low-water, low-fertility plant for arid landscapes.

Wildlife Attraction

The distinctive flower heads produce a generous amount of sweet nectar, making them extremely attractive to nectar-feeding birds, which serve as the primary pollinators.7 Planting 'Tango' is an excellent way to invite hummingbirds and native birds into the cool-season garden.

Pest and Disease Resistance

Leucospermum 'Tango' is generally a hardy and robust plant when its crucial drainage needs are met.8 The most common issues are root rot and collar rot, which are caused by poor soil drainage or overwatering—this is the single most critical factor to avoid.

Propagation

To ensure the resulting plant maintains the specific, desirable traits, bi-color bloom, and vigorous habit of the 'Tango' cultivar, propagation must be conducted using vegetative methods. Semi-hardwood cuttings are the preferred and most reliable technique, generally taken during the warmer months. Propagation from seed is not used for maintaining cultivar identity.

 

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