Friday, January 28, 2022

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.



Thursday, January 20, 2022

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.



Tuesday, January 11, 2022

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.