Many of the plants that grow in gardens in California are native to Australia. They are often drought tolerant so over the years, I have enjoyed many plants originally from Australia in my own garden. When this giant flower, the Nodding Pincushion, a type of Protea often used in floral arrangements, caught my attention in the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, I just assumed that it was an Australian native. But I was wrong. It is native to Africa, in particular Zimbabwe and South Africa.