Peach Fuzz: Pantone Color of the Year 2024

As has become an annual year-end tradition, the Pantone color of 2024 has finally been revealed. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.”

PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, as it’s officially called, is described as a “velvety gentle peach tone, whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” A shade between pink and orange, this lovely hue with a vintage vibe brings belonging and inspires recalibration. It's warm and cozy, highlighting our desire for togetherness and the feeling of safety.

Sensitive but sweet and airy, Peach Fuzz is described as 'quietly sophisticated' with gentle depth and a 'contemporary ambiance' that evokes a new modernity. It's a color that creates a welcoming and comforting ambience in and around the home, whether appearing in home furnishings, floral designs or even in the garden.

Looking through our collection of floral creations, we have several designs where peach is the focal color.

Laurina: The Pincushion Hakea

There's nothing like discovering new flowers and foliage, and feeling the amazement that their unique colors, forms, and textures bring. Even better is the realization that these unique florals will give you inspiration and enjoyment in the years to come.

The quest to find extraordinary botanicals is part of the learning process for many florists and designers. However, we know that searching for the “new and unusual” can be quite time-consuming. So, our mission has been, and it will always be, to make as many “cool and extraordinary” proteas more accessible to all who want them.

Therefore, if you’re looking for an interesting protea to transform an ordinary arrangement into something spectacular, look no further than the Hakea Laurina. This fabulous botanical will add any extra special touch to any centerpiece with its captivating flowers and beautiful foliage.

With poofy flowers, laurel-shaped leaves, and smooth brown stems, Laurina is truly awe-inspiring and eye-catching. Plus, it has several other fitting nicknames like Pincushion Hakea, Pincushion Flower, Pincushion Tree, and Emu Bush.

The faint, honey-scented blooms are round and measure up to two inches in diameter. Bulging from the reddish balls are 120-190 spikes. The long, white spikes together with the red hue of the flower make a very unusual version of a pincushion. Laurina’s flowering season typically begins during the month of December and runs through March.

If the Laurina’s flowers are not enough to let your love for this Hakea blossom, its beautiful foliage will. The laurel-shaped evergreen leaves are so striking that the plant was named after its foliage’s appearance… hence the name, Hakea Laurina.

Biophilia – The Nature Attraction

There’s no doubt we’re all born with the desire to connect to nature! This deep-rooted attraction to the outdoors is called biophilia a term is derived from the Greek words for “life” and “love” making its precise translation “love of life.” Biophilia is more than just an idea, it has been found to support both physical and mental health. Since the average the person spends more than 75 percent of their life indoors, establishing a biophilia environment would have significant results.

This explains why flowers and plants can instantly invigorate your mood and lift your spirits. The calming qualities of nature can be enjoyed through soothing colors + interesting textures. And there are plenty of ways to satisfy your nature craving, and we know just how to help you bring the outside in.

As the human population grows and access to nature becomes limited, incorporating nature into your home and work environments becomes more and more important. Regular exposure to natural elements supports longevity and helps ensure that future generations will maintain an affinity with nature as well.

Resendiz Brothers 2024 Calendar

For the last twenty-four years I’ve designed and created our annual Resendiz Brothers calendar, which we proudly share with all our friends and family. The time spent crafting the calendar has become very special as it gives me the opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months while rummaging through fabulous photos to select my thirteen favorites. The cover is typically a photograph that has received quite a bit of attention during the last year or reminds me of a particular season, and this year's choice - was no exception. The remaining twelve photographs are thoughtfully placed in the calendar to represent the months when the proteas pictured are typically in bloom. Scroll on down and have a sneak peek at this year’s picks.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Protea Ceres

Looking for stems of beautiful red protea for the holidays? How about using Ceres? This queen-size bloom or what we call a ‘Hybrid Queen’ is a superb blend of magnifica and obtusifolia. Simply stunning with crimson-red bracts and white feathery tips, Ceres is extremely hardy and opens slowly over days providing an exceptional long vase-life And, when fully open, the bloom is quite spectacular at 5 to 6 inches in diameter… making it an eye-catching feature in an design!

Divine green foliage and sturdy long stems makes Ceres a prized protea for any flower lover. Plus, because its main flowering period is through fall into winter, there’s a bounty of beauty, love and joy to spread through the holiday season and right into Valentine’s Day.

Ceres’ captivating bloom will surely steal the spotlight in any bouquet or arrangement.

Creating a Bountiful Autumn Centerpiece

The vibes your autumn decor gives off depends entirely on what you pair them with. While we typically associate pumpkins with Halloween, they are suitable for so much more. Left whole, they can sit at many angles to give everyone at the table a beautiful view. These shapely gourds are a symbol of abundance, and when cut open, they make excellent containers for seasonal florals and fruit.

Ready to make your own?

Choose a pumpkin with a fresh, healthy stem, no bruises, and a flat bottom so it won't roll. Cut off the top and set it off to the side. Scoop out all the seeds and pulp. Place a block of floral foam in water and wait until it is completely saturated. Then insert the foam inside the pumpkin, leaving just a few inches between the top surface of the foam and the rim. Insert flowers, foliage, and fruited branches directly into the foam, working all around the perimeter of your pumpkin. In my design, I chose a mix of proteas, grevillea flowers, spray roses, zinnias, chrysanthemum, calla lilies, beautyberry, hanging amaranths, green kumquats, pomegranate, Australian pine, and eucalyptus.

Exploring the Darkside - Leucadendron Ebony

Step into the shadows with us as we explore a fabulous fall Leucadendron, that boosts captivating deep, dark purple-black leaves.

It’s no shock it’s called Ebony or Burgundy Sunset, as its wickedly dark leaves are a distinct feature when compared to the basic green foliage of ‘Safari Sunset’, the species from which it evolved. Dark foliage appears to be all the rage now, so you can’t go wrong with this spectacular variety!

As Ebony’s foliage ages, the bracts that surround the ‘true flower’ turn a deep wine-red delivering stunning sprays of blooms! The best part? Aside from the splendor and outstanding hues, Ebony has real lasting power too. It can last up to a month in a flower arrangement. When paired with protea, banksia and other fabulous florals, Ebony is sure to add an extra touch of pizzazz to any autumn design.

The Protea Attraction - Hummingbirds

Despite being stunning cut flowers, proteas not only add color and texture to floral designs, but they also attract a symphony of nature's nectar-seeking guests like birds, bees, and butterflies. Once you've had the pleasure of observing these pollinators in action, it's only natural to want to see them more often, like my favorite... the hummingbird.

Hummingbirds love proteas thanks to the flower's abundance of both pollen and nectar, especially over the long winter months. It’s fascinating to watch a hummingbird as it darts around from bloom to bloom and the dance it performs is unlike any other bird. Its bright, shimmering colors, rapid flight, and the ability to hover in midair are a few of the traits that make it so unique. During courtship dives a hummingbird can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. It can rotate its wings in a circle and it's the only bird that can fly forward, backward, up, down, and sideways. Such high-energy movement requires that it feeds every ten to fifteen minutes. These amazing birds bring so much excitement and wonder to the field.

Hummingbirds are most attracted to flowers in shades of red and orange.

Our top 3 Hummingbird-Friendly Proteas

Protea - Sugarbush

The best-known genus of the protea family and the one for which it’s named. These flowers vary in size, shape, color, and form and rely on their showy bracts for visual appeal.

Grevillea Flowers – Bush Lollies

These lollipop-like flowers, also referred to as Bush Lollies, Bush Toothbrush and Spiderman, provide masses vibrant, textural blooms throughout the year. Their popularity comes from their willingness to flower and flower.

Leucospermum - Pincushions

Leucospermum or more commonly called pincushions put all their art into the colors of the flowers themselves as well as the flowing shape of each curving component. These fanciful blooms atop sturdy stems make for colorful rest stops (or landing pads) between flights.

The Latest Floral Inspiration

How Pincushion Protea Flowers Are Grown in California

With their striking colors, intricate forms, and eye-catching textures, pincushion protea flowers are an extraordinary addition to any floral arrangement. These captivating blooms, known for their pin-like appearance and velvety texture, have been capturing the hearts of flower enthusiasts for years.

Read more here.

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The Silver Tree

The genus is named after its most outstanding member, Leucadendron argenteum….known to botanists, gardeners and plant lovers throughout the world as the silver tree, but the early Dutch settlers dubbed it witteboom, literally ‘white tree’. In 1691 the botanist Plukenet used the name, translated into Latin, to describe the witteboom and related plants….Leucadendron, therefore, became the accepted name for this genus…

Marie Vogts, South Africa’s Proteaceae

On that projecting isthmus of land called the Cape Peninsula, at the bottom left hand corner of Africa, there can scarcely be anyone unfamiliar with the handsomest arboreal member of the protea family: silver tree or Witteboom, as it is known in high Dutch and its descendent language, Afrikaans. Always strikingly silver, it is transformed by the hot, drying, gale-force north winds of the cooler months of the year to a gleaming metallic lustre. The glory takes one’s breath away! Even the dry leaves of herbarium specimens retain their sheen, prompting Linnaeus, that first great modern plant namer, to exclaim at his desk in Uppsala, “this tree, the most shining and splendid of all plants.” I wonder if he was lucky enough to see a living specimen; the seeds were certainly available in Holland by then.

Read more here.

7 Protea Wreaths That Showcase Fall’s Bounty

While pumpkins, wheat stalks, and colorful leaves tend to be favorites when it comes to autumn decor, few things say ‘fall’ better than a beautiful wreath. They are incredibly versatile and don't just need to be for doors, they are wonderful displayed on walls and mantles, and even used on the dining table.

Wreaths add to the cozy, welcoming ambiance of the fall. So, be sure to take advantage of the season’s warm hues and interesting textures as they can be an easy way to update your décor and mark the seasonal celebration of autumn.

For a wreath with longevity, proteas are perfect as they look stunning ‘fresh’ but ‘in the spirit of the harvest’, they also dry beautifully and will last for months… maybe even years to come.

Hopefully, this roundup of protea wreaths will inspire you to turn natural elements from your yard or garden, including leaves, sticks, cones, pods, and fabulous florals (like proteas) into unique arrangements. The design possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to experiment.