I just bought a Leucospermum at one of our large hardware stores and the wholesaler's tag does indeed say "These exotic South African Plants will flower for 2-3 weeks indoors and bloom outdoors in the Spring in USDA zones 9-12."

The tag does not say what species or hybrid it is, but from the pictures I could find it appears to be L. cordifolium or a similar species/hybrid. Sorry no picture--but I'll be emailing the company to see if they can tell me what it is.

The plant is in a 6 inch (15 cm) diameter container, and is full of blooms and buds at various stages. None of the blooms are fully open. The plant itself is about 10 inches (25 cm) tall by 14 inches (36 cm) wide.

So a few questions: Is the 2-3 weeks left of blooming too conservative? It looks like it will take some of the buds a month to even start to open. I decided not to treat it like a houseplant but to keep it outside in shade during the day--will this help? (Highs now 60-80 F, 16-27 C). Our climate should be no problem for this plant, from what I understand.

Is there a good online guide as to how to care for these?

The short term (a couple years) plan is to keep it in a pot and then move it into the ground. I take it it will need to be repotted very soon? When do I do this?

It's a beautiful plant, covered with blooms--it seemed a steal at $15. These guys are not easy to find around here.

Thanks