Field to Vase Dinner Tour Comes to Rainbow

Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you. -Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Here at Resendiz Brothers, we couldn’t be happier the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner starts its 2018 season right here in Rainbow on April 7th. The widely-acclaimed dinner tour is kicking off this year's circuit in one of our protea fields and will be drawing guests from across the country to enjoy this ‘safari-style’ evening among the flowers.

Rene’ Van Rems, AIFD, our featured designer, will dazzle guests with his artistic talent and cheerful wit. On Friday, April 6th, Rene and a team of designers will be creating a variety of centerpieces and displays using an array of Proteaceae and unique botanicals. Then on Saturday they’ll venture up into the hills of Rainbow to a remote location to install the entire event. Rene is already preparing for what is sure to be an amazing evening!

Here are the details of Rene’s special workshop:

Leucadendron Gold Strike

Looking for a winter pick-me-up? With one step into the Gold Strike field, you can escape to a ‘botanical retreat’ filled with rays of golden sunshine, leaving the winter blues behind. Some call this gorgeous yellow foliage – Yellow Conebush, Cone Bush, Sunshine Conebush, Sunshine Protea Safari Gold Strike or simply leucadendron Gold Strike.

Whatever you want to call this winter foliage - it is amazing during this time of the year! It’s one of the most colorful leucadendron - a cross of Strobolinum and Laureolum. Hardy and tall, Gold Strike has narrow oblong, green leaves spirally arranged on the branches. What people first think are flowers that look like yellow tulips, are actually… bright-yellow bracts or leaves.

Flowers on Your Head

If you’re a fan of Flowers, School Gardens and Kids, our friend, Mud Baron needs no introduction. A self-proclaimed “farmer, artist and teacher”, he fills his days helping kids develop job skills while creating beauty through gardening. Benevolent artist that he is, Mud recently stopped by Grand View Boulevard Elementary to show his support for LA’s BEST annual fundraiser Locally Grown: A Garden Party being held on March 15th.

Mud’s motto, “Kids should encounter nature every day” and he passes that message on beautifully through his Flowers on Your Head talent.

LA’s BEST provides an after school and summer enrichment program to 25,000 elementary school students in 198 schools in the most economically distressed neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. Students are given the tools to excel in school, discover new talents and create a brighter future.

In the Field: Brandi dela Cruz

It’s that time of the year when our pincushion fields start to look like fireworks displays that were pulled right out of the sky and tossed onto the steep hillsides. And when it comes to the ‘Best in Show’ display, there’s no doubt Leucospermum Brandi dela Cruz takes the gold for its dazzling carpet of color and texture. A field full of blooms in rich golden-yellow with orange tints and each flower, large with a diameter of almost 6 inches. This pincushion is one of the new hybrids from the University of Hawaii's research project on Maui. A gorgeous selection that is mostly a mix of Leucospermum reflexum and lineare parents. Brandi dela Cruz is extremely prolific, long stemmed and has a very good vase life.

New on the Farm: Protea Seeds

Just in time for the spring gardening season, a collection of protea seeds are now available. Ideal for plant enthusiasts and gardeners, these protea, telopea, banksia and leucospermum seeds are prefect for those of you who have been wondering if protea will grow in your gardens. Read on to learn how to cultivate some of our favorites.

Proteas like full sun, ample wind circulation, and acidic, free-draining soil. It is best to stay out of areas where temperatures are known to remain below 28 degrees for an extended period of time.

How to Plant:

1.  Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. 
2. Then sow in a tray of well-drained soil, decomposed granite is ideal. Adding perlite and sand to the seed compost improves drainage. 
3. Once sown, cover the seeds with about 1/4” of sand. 
4. Germination takes 3-4 weeks at around 60-70°F, and up to several months in cooler conditions. Let the germination temperature drop naturally at night. 
5. Transplant young seedlings into a container with well-drained compost being careful to avoid root disturbance. 
6. Seedlings should remain in their container for a year before planting in the garden.

Our selection includes:

Click here to order – Happy Gardening!

Farm Friends

The way we see it, everything is better with farm friends, including work. We’re proud to count quite a few ‘new’ two and four-legged animals among the Resendiz Brothers team. Meet Orio, Rudy and Lucky Jr., our baby pups, Kity our kitten, a fleet of precious chicks and several adorable goats - which got us thinking: Why not share them with all our friends? Not only did they enjoy posing for the photos, but we think they will love living and working on our flower farm. Welcome to our family, guys and gals!