Prettying-Up Your Winter Haven

If there is ever a season to create your own arrangements, it’s winter. You can easily take the chill out of the day by selecting stems of seasonal flowers and foliage and displaying them in a simple container. Creating a warm and cozy ambiance is effortless when you have the pick of fabulous florals, like Protea, Banksia, Leucadendron, Grevillea, plus lush, textural greens. Need a few additional tips to help boost your winter bliss? 1. The brighter the better 2. Choose an array of interesting shapes and textures.

Some of my favorite centerpiece ideas don't require you to go out and buy a new container — utilizing an old ceramic planter, a galvanized bucket, or even a cardboard flower box will help you create an eye-catching arrangement. Winter arrangements call for awesome blossoms, which means you can feel good about using ordinary elements to help style your centerpiece.

Cheers to prettying-up your winter haven!

Leucospermum – Pincushion Blanchito

It is that time of the year once again 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 most ‘Eye-Catching’ display, there’s no doubt Leucospermum Blanchito takes first prize for its dazzling color and texture.

There’s nothing more breathtaking than a field full of blooms in rich reddish-orange and golden hues, 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 a mix of 75 % Leucospermum lineare, and vestitum making up the balance of its family line. Blancito is extremely prolific, long stemmed and has a very good vase life.

Women’s Day 2022 - #BreaktheBias

Women’s Day is an international holiday celebrating the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is #BreaktheBias which highlights the importance of challenging biases and misconceptions in the interest of creating a more inclusive + gender-equal planet. The roles women play in today's society are vital and the world counld not function without them. March 8th has been set aside as the day to honor women and show appreciation for their hard work and achievements.

Feeling inspired and wondering how you can celebrate Women's Day… here are a few suggestions:

With Flowers! It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman to join in on the celebration - it is completely acceptable for a man to give flowers to the women in his life, as well as, women to share flowers with their friends, family and co-workers.

Learn why the day is important. As women's accomplishments, particularly those that have to do with the home (raising children, educating, cleaning, cooking, etc.) are often ignored and overlooked. This day helps to remind people of the important things that women do every day.

Help raise awareness. Mention that it's Women's Day to people you know, your family, your coworkers, your friends. Discuss with them why it's an important day and why it's important to treat women with respect and to acknowledge their contributions to society.

In the Field: Protea Trish Compacta

Spring may be a long way off, but if you could use a winter pick-me-up right this minute, we have the perfect antidote. A gorgeous protea cultivar that’s certain to boost your spirits and take the chill out of a cold winter day.

Trish Compacta! Think Pink and so velvety soft (don’t you just want to reach out & feel those satiny petals?). This protea is a wonderful mix of compacta and laurifolia with the classic flawless-colored floral bracts in a rich pink (like compacta) and silvery-white highlights that surround the same pink colored center dome. Trish Compacta blooms winter through early spring… which means you should be enjoying them, umm right now!

When harvested and mixed with other proteas (and some textural Berzelia), there’s no doubt Trish Compacta delivers nature's best remedy to cure the winter blues.

Leucadendron Senorita

New year, new preferences! There's no better time to switch up your Leucadendron favorites than at the start of a brand-new year. If you have been sourcing the same varieties for years (like Safari Sunset or Jester), and you want step outside of your comfort zone and experiment with something new… winter through early spring is the best time to do it. As the weather gets colder, Leucadendron seemingly ‘wake up’ and make superb winter flowers in a variety of colors and textures. With the season’s abundance of this fabulous foliage, we turn to a ‘newbie’ here on the farm.

Leucadendron Senorita… a simply stunning and mesmerizing hybrid! The flowering bracts go through a succession of color stages as they mature, from crimson blushes on a creamy hue to bright pink-burgundy tones. Masses of breathtaking blooms are displayed on very long straight stems.

And for a little history… Senorita is thought to be a combination of Leucadendron salignum and discolor. This amazing plant was developed in South Africa in the 1990’s by Gail Littlejohn, a protea pioneer, and named by a New Zealand farmer who cultivated it for the floral industry.

It’s no secret that we think Leucadendron should definitely be receiving a lot more LOVE this year… after all, switching up your favorites it a great way to boost your mood and inspire even more creativity.

Phylica Pubescens – Featherhead

Phylica Pubescens or also called Featherhead is often thought of as a member of the Protea family but it’s actually part of the Rhamnacae family… both families are very closely related and an integral part of fynbos.

The name Pubescens refers to the short wispy white or yellow hairs on stems of this wonderful plant which at sunrise and sunset when back-lit seems to catch the sunlight and glow like magic.

The common name Featherhead refers to the slightly cinnamon scented white flowers with gold overtones and dense feathery bristles that appear in clusters on top of the branches from mid-winter through spring. Below the flower heads are rings of soft feathery bracts that extend outward like golden-yellow whiskers. The tiny white flowers themselves are obsure amongst the feathery delight of the plant, but they can be seen when viewed up closely.

Fashioning Protea Angels

Why not skip this year’s after Christmas clearance sales and make hand-crafted decorations for the next holiday season?

Dried flowers have made a big comeback over the last two years. Trendy dried blooms and pods are in high demand and many stores can't keep them in stock. So, while you might not be able to purchase them from your favorite store, you can dry your own flowers (protea preferred) at home and use them in all kinds of fun crafts.

Can you say angels? We’re turning the protea from our Christmas centerpieces into ornaments for the next holiday season. Did you know proteas are ever-flowers? Designing and fashioning your own ornaments can be a great way to utilize dried protea.

With proper post-harvest care, blooms can last weeks in a vase. Then, they don’t die… they dry beautifully! Many Proteas retain their structural design and to some extent their color. When used in crafts, like ornaments, they are as permanent as almost anything the botanical world provides.

So, if you're tired of the typical store-bought decorations, we suggest you take a look at these holiday angels.

Here’s what you’ll needed to make your own angels:

• Dried proteas
• Dried pods for hats 
• Dried leaves (for wings) 
• Dried wildflowers for accessories
• Round wooden doll heads 
• Ribbon, twine, and floral wire 
• Embellishments 
• Sharpe markers 
• Paint 
• Hot glue

When protea blooms find their ultimate place in a dried decor, they finish a story that began in Gondwanaland and triumphed over a thousand adversities. They represent a special kind of bond, a link to the past and a reminder of the present and how new life springs eternal.