Flower News: April’s Stories of Interest from Around the World

Heat-Resistant Wedding Bouquets Perfect for Summer

Finding the perfect wedding bouquet can be a challenge, whatever the season. But what about sourcing buds for a celebration that takes place during the summer, when the weather adds an extra variable to your decisions? That makes things even more difficult. If you're planning a celebration in a location known for its summer heat waves, it may be in your best interest to pick an arrangement that'll stand up to the sky-high temps.

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The Unlikely Florist is sweeping Venice off its feet with
rustic bouquets and a van named Untho

It’s hard not to fall for The Unlikely Florist’s beautiful bouquets. Spilling from a 1980 VW Vanagon, the rustic arrangements of blushing protea, ruddy South African pincushions and mustard-yellow billy balls attract people like spring blossoms charm honey bees. Small children run to the modified camper van parked outside the beachy Great White café on Pacific Avenue as if it were hawking ice cream; parents wrangle them to get a family picture. Aspiring social media influencers flock to the flora, burying camera-ready faces into bouquets that make for inspired accent pieces in requisite photos of the Venice Sign instantly shared to “the Gram.”

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Boost the awesome power of your flowers by
buying them from local growers

THERE’S NO DENYING a flower’s power. Whether it’s the lush extravagance of a bride’s bouquet or the sweetly fragrant posy celebrating a child’s birth, the twang on our heartstrings is real.

Flowers even have a language of their own, developed by poets, lovers and the occasional passive-aggressive lout. A quaint practice begun in the Victorian era allowed shy suitors to send secret messages by means of a carefully chosen bouquet — be it one of affection (composed of carnations, red roses and heliotrope, denoting faithfulness, love and devotion), or a cleverly disguised social dagger (snapdragons, yellow roses and zinnias, with their implicit message of revenge, jealousy and absence!).

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Graze at the Flower Fields

Spring is a season of fresh starts and new beginnings, and the San Diego County Farm Bureau celebrated that spirit by hosting Graze, their first annual one of a kind tasting and education event at the world-renowned Carlsbad Flower Fields. Over 200 people from our community had the opportunity to taste local bounty and behold an array of San Diego Agriculture, while networking with the farmers and purveyors. Several of our favorite industry partners including the San Diego Water Authority, the San Diego Safari Park and the San Diego County Master Gardeners Association participated too.

We were thrilled to be invited to represent San Diego’s Cut Flower industry, the #10 Top Crop in the county producing $41,497,668 in annual sales. We flowered our display table with bouquets, topiaries, a wreath, assorted waxflower and Leucadendron as well as our protea books and promotional material. In addition, we hosted a boutonniere bar where guests could select a floral accessory of their choice or make their own.

Country Blooms

The word ‘Country’ means different things to different people. For some, it is a place. To others, it is a state of mind. For flower farmers like us, it means a little of both. Flowers that look as if they’d been freshly picked from the field or garden are reminders of a special time or place, even if it’s simply a place you remember from a trip out of town. For my design, I mixed a few different Proteaceae, including Leucadendron, Leucospermum, Grevillea, Isopogon and even some twigs from my garden.

A container such as a watering can is a cherished emblem of the 'country style', a way of decorating that is cozy and informal and easy to live with. Another might be a milk churn or perhaps, a small wine barrel. So, why not forage a bit around your yard or garden and bring the spirit of the country indoors? It’s a great way to celebrate spring.

Leucospermum Cornocarpadendron

Leucospermum High Gold

Leucadendron Discolor Cream

Leucadendron Pisa

Leucadendron Galpinii

Grevillea Flowers – Moonlight

Grevillea Ivanhoe

Isopogon Yellow

Fennel Flower

Mulberries

Spring Topiary

The most abundant and colorful time of the year is upon us, and there’s no better way to celebrate the season than by bringing nature’s wonder and beauty indoors. Yep, we’re talking about another festive Floral Topiary! Again this month, we’re challenging you to dream beyond traditional arrangements, and try something fun and fabulous.

We’d be remiss not to include the seasonal flowers that mark so many of the spring holidays and events. You can start off simple with just four or five different flowers, but don’t stop there! There are a lot more interesting ways to use nature’s bounty and create a beautiful topiary.

• Leucadendron Red Eye 
• Purple and Yellow Isopogon 
• Leucospermum Eurbescenes – Fruit Salad 
• Lavender 
• Jasmine Vine

Events: Farm Tours

Farm tours are a wonderful way to celebrate the spring!

This month, we had the pleasure to host two farm tours. These fun events provided us a welcome break from our normal day to day activities and give us the opportunity to make new friends.

We picked the perfect April mornings for both tours, blue skies and about 75 degrees. The tours started off by providing guests with a little ‘insider information’ on our farm and what we’re up to this time of the year. Then off to the greenhouse and nursery they went to see where everything begins, sprouts and develops its roots here on the farm. Next stop, the packing area for a quick peek inside the cooler and to watch our crew create bouquets and wreaths.

UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County - April 2nd

Public Farm Tour - April 13th

From sharing protea inspiration to shopping for plants for the garden, the tours served up the very best of the season, and here are a few of the highlights.

Spring Faves: Leucospermum

Video click here.

Leucospermum are the eye candy of our spring protea harvest, and if you’re not already reveling in their splendor, we’re betting you will be soon. Who can resist all the beautiful flowering heads with masses of styles that look like pins bristling from a pincushion? Fanciful blooms atop long sturdy stems create colorful focal points not only in the field (or garden) but when displayed in floral designs. It’s magic time! And now it seems every year, we get to enjoy a new variety or cultivar as many of the Hawaiian Hybrids are becoming more readily available.

You see, back in the 1970's the University of Hawaii started working on an exclusive collection of new and improved cultivars of pincushions. The goals were aimed at improved color, increased vase life and good stem length. The results - some amazing hybrids, many of which have quite complex ancestry, some with even ten species parents.

In the Field: Leucospermum Erubescens

Within the wonderfully diverse world of Leucospermum or more commonly called pincushions, Erubescens ranks among the most distinct, captivating and eye-catching. They’re so easy to spot, petite oval flowerheads 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter and clustered in four to eight together at the end of the stems. They are somewhat asymmetical with the styles leaning a bit towards the stem. Each individual flower starts out yellow, gradually opening to reveal a bright crimson, from which long styles stick out, giving the flowerhead as a whole the appearance of a single pincushion.

Other common names for this intriguing Leucospermum are Fruit Salad, Langeberg pincushion, and orange flame pincushion. Blooms are produced early spring into summer and can last on the bush for up to two months.