This is a rare look at Freylinia visseri, a beautiful shrub from coastal South Africa.  Each spring, it makes eye-catching, tubular blooms in delightful shades of purplish-pink.  This is an endangered species that almost went extinct.  I've found it to be easy to grow, although it hasn't been tested in hot conditions.  It is almost never seen for sale.  I don't know anyone in the US offering it.

It is an attractive, evergreen bush that gets about 6 to 8 feet tall, although you can prune it to 3-4 feet tall if necessary.  It makes slender branches lined with small, narrow leaves, looking sort of like Rosemary.  The blooms appear around late spring from the ends of the branches, with about 10 to 20 blooms in each cluster.  It's hard to capture their colors in pictures, but they can develop a nice bluish tint as they age.  The blooms attract sunbirds in the wild and hummingbirds in cultivation.  The plant disappeared in the wild, but was saved from extinction by a gardener who happened to be growing it.  A few plants have since been reintroduced back in the wild, but it is still endangered.

It comes from a mild climate with cool nights, so it enjoys "Mediterranean" conditions.  It's possible that consistently hot temps might stress it, especially if nights are warm (over 65⁰F / 18⁰C).  It might have some frost tolerance, since it can grow back from the roots, but it's best to protect it from freezing temps.  It flowers best with at least a few hours of sun per day.  Some afternoon shade might be needed in warmer climates.  It grows nicely in a pot in well-draining soil.  A typical mix is 2 parts potting soil to 1 part perlite or coarse horticultural sand.  I keep the soil evenly moist most of the time.  Prune back the longer shoots after flowering to keep the plant nice & tidy.

Photo #2 used with permission of SA Plants

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