In Celebration of Earth Month - The Hummingbird

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. The small size, rapid wingbeats, mid-air acrobatics, and hovering flight are fascinating to witness. 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 these birds feed every ten to fifteen minutes, and proteas certainly satisfy that hunger. These amazing pollinators bring so much excitement and wonder to the field.

Our top 3 Hummingbird-Friendly proteas….

Grevillea Flowers

Leucospermum – Pincushions

Protea

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.

Protea News: April’s Articles and Blogs of Interest from Around the World

South African proteas are all the rage at overseas weddings -
last year we exported 3.4 million to keep up with demand

South Africa’s iconic protea is in high demand with 3.4 million exported throughout the world in 2017. The largest markets are the European Union and Russia, which represent almost half of the exports.

This is according to Cape Flora SA, a non-profit company that monitors and promotes sustainable exporting of proteas from South Africa. Cape Flora estimates that South Africa’s total fynbos market is estimated at R130 million, with some 4,200 tons of SA flowers exported last year. Read more here.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Featured Farm - Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers

I recently had the opportunity to visit Resendiz Brothers and speak to the man himself, Ismael (“Mel”) Resendiz, and Diana Roy, who plays a vital role in operations. While there, I was invited to view the beautiful rolling hills of the Resendiz Brothers impressive cut flower business In Rainbow. Mel drove me up and down the hills, explaining the history, processes, accomplishments, and struggles of his farm and land. Read more here.
                                                                                                                                                                  

Rene van Rems Wows at First 2018 Tour Stop

Floral Designer Shares the Inside Story
on Prepping for a Field to Vase Dinner

You might think the job of a floral designer is singular – to surprise and delight by creating beautiful flower arrangements. When the designer is Rene van Rems, you’d be wrong.

Van Rems was the floral designer for the recent American Grown Field to Vase Dinner at Resendiz Brothers Protea in Fallbrook, California. But his efforts went far beyond arranging flowers. He started by visiting the site with flower farmer Mel Resendiz to help select the perfect location for the dinner. Read more here.

In Celebration of Earth Day

On Saturday, April 15 at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, we celebrated the Earth and learned how to be more mindful of taking care of this planet we all call home. Resendiz Brothers was just one of several vendors who joined in on the fun during the gardens’ annual Earth Day Festival. It was a family friendly event that included: children’s activities, plant and pottery sales, music and entertainment, eco-exhibitors, artists, a Lions Club BBQ and guest speakers… including our favorite farmer - “Mel”. It was wonderful day in the garden, inspiring us all to be more diligent in taking care of our environment and the places that sustain life for all.