Welcoming the Chamelaucium: The Start of Waxflower Season in California

Like clockwork… just before the winter solstice, we’re seeing first hints of spring begin to grace the fields, one of our favorite seasons is upon us: Chamelaucium season! This aromatic beauty, often referred to as waxflower, bursts onto the scene with a delightful array of colors and fragrances that signal the arrival of a new season.

Originating from Australia, these delicate, cup-shaped accent flowers ranging in hues from soft pinks, whites to deep purples and even bi-colors. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, waxflowers are also cherished for their unique waxy petals, which create a stunning visual while providing longevity in floral designs.

Waxflowers typically begin their bloom in early winter and continue to flourish through the spring, making January to June a particularly delightful time for designers. As temperatures rise, we see a flourishing of color across the fields. The warmer inland valley provides ideal growing conditions for these resilient plants.

Whether used as the star of the show or simply mingled in mixed bouquets, waxflowers bring a fresh, earthy scent and texture that’s simply irresistible. Their compatibility with other spring blooms, such as protea, pincushions, and leucadendron, makes them an ideal filler flower for creating lavish bouquets and centerpieces that celebrate the season.

In the language of flowers, waxflower symbolizes a love of fortune and a yearning for independence. Given its delicate yet resilient nature, it’s often associated with hope, freedom, and new beginnings. Whether you’re using it for a wedding bouquet, an event, or a thoughtful gift, waxflower can add a layer of meaning to your arrangements.

Care Tips for Waxflower 

To get the most out of your waxflower arrangements, it’s essential to understand how to properly care for these delicate blooms. Here are a few tips: 

• Hydration: Always re-cut stems at an angle before placing them in water. This ensures proper hydration and longevity. 
• Temperature: Keep arrangements in a cool environment away from direct sunlight, which can quickly wilt the blooms. 
• Cleaning: Change the water regularly and remove any wilting flowers or foliage.

Waxflower, with its delicate petals and fragrant aroma inspires creativity and adds depth to your work. With the right care and a thoughtful approach, Chamelaucium can elevate floral creations, leaving a lasting impression on all who encounter it.

So next time you’re looking to add that special touch to your floral designs, don’t overlook the charm of waxflower. Embrace its beauty and versatility.

For the Love of Waxflower

Waxflower season is upon us, and with it comes an abundance of those beloved fragrant flowers. Belonging to the Chamelaucium genus of shrubs and stemming from the myrtle family, they are related to Leptospermum and Thryptomene. Waxflower includes over 100 varieties of Geraldton wax or Chamelaucium uncinatum and other Chamelaucium species and hybrids. Some of the more common hybrids are classified as Pearlflowers, Gemflowers or Starflowers. These amazing plants typically bloom early winter through spring and are widely grown for their frilly eye-catching blooms.

Discovered in 1819, the waxflower originated from the southwest of Western Australia, where the French botanist Rene Louiche Desfontaines gave the plant its botanical name Chamelaucium. The slight waxy feel of its petals is believed to be the reason for its name. The leaves contain oil glands that have a beautiful lemony fresh fragrance when crushed. The blooms are delicate in style, flaunting five petals, ten stamens and a small, hardened fruit.

Waxflowers have long been associated with good luck and best wishes of lasting love. And it's also a symbol of wealth and riches. In Australia it's believed that the waxflower symbolizes joyful memories and new beginnings and is therefore used in most weddings. These fabulous flowers have an abundance of uses in bouquets and arrangements, as well as in flower crowns and corsages.

Reeves Pink Bottlebrush

When it comes to summer accent flowers, we have happily entered into an era of the Callistemon - it seems like every other month or so there’s a new batch of Reeves Pink blooms opening up that we just have to harvest. This abundance of delicate, petite flowers got us thinking how fun would it be to mix them with some of our favorite protea - so we can show our friends how wonderful they are when mixed in bouquets.

Callistemon are the true Bottlebrushes, though the name is often confused with Banksia, Melaleuca, Calothamnus and even Grevillea. This Australian genus of about 38 species is a member of the myrtle family. The soft flower spikes are made up of a large number of individual flowers and the foliage when crushed has a citrus scent. Bottlebrush is also easily recognized by the textural seed clusters that are produced after each flowering period.

What to look for:

• Buy when at least half the flowers in a spike are open and brightly colored. 
• Avoid bunches with drooping tips, yellow leaves or where all flowers are in a tight bud stage.

Flower Care:

1. Keep in a cool location. 
2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem and wash stems thoroughly. 
3. Re-cut at least 1/2" off each stem and place in cold water. 
4. Always use a preservative as this will help keep open flowers looking fresh. 
5. Replace vase water every day.

Winter Wreaths

Despite the fact that a moody groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, we’ve got a ‘welcome’ cure for the winter blues. Handmade with 10 to 16 small bouquets —our designers create wreaths so lush that they’ll take the chill out of winter and brighten up dark days. Crafted with the season’s freshest flowers and foliage – blooming leucadendron, textural greens, accent flowers and colorful protea, pincushions & banksia... all the ingredients necessary to create a joyful spirit and cheerful welcome.