Crushing on Banksia Ashbyii

Looking to add a bold, textural twist to your floral designs? Say hello to Banksia ashbyii! With its blazing orange flower spikes and rugged, sculptural leaves, this Australian native is your secret weapon for unforgettable arrangements.

🔥 Why We’re Crushing on Ashbyii:  

🔸 That burnt-orange color? Instant warmth.
🔸 Those spiky, cone-like blooms? Hello, texture.
🔸 Silvery foliage? A dusty, desert-chic dream.
🔸 Bonus: it dries beautifully, so your designs last long after the fresh phase.

🌿 Design Tips: 

• Pair it with soft natives like eucalyptus, leucospermum, or leucadendron for an earthy boho vibe. 
• Want more contrast? Tuck in some soft fennel or grevillea flowers for a wild-meets-refined touch. 
• Feeling bold? Mingle a few ashbyii with a king and pink duke, pincushions, conebush, blue lepto and some sea holly for a bright avant-garde aura.

Ashbyii photographs like a dream. Perfect for weddings, events, or that one stunning centerpiece.

So next time you're building a bouquet or styling a display, throw in an ashbyii or two… it’s like an Australian road trip in flower form.

Get Hooked on Fresh Spring Leucadendron

A vibrant, bunch of Leucadendron is a delightful thing: After a quick snip off the stems and a few leaves removed from the bottom, all you really need to enjoy them is a vase. Since they are so simple to arrange, it is easy to forget that they’re basically considered the foliage side of the family of Protea. To honor this genus and some 80 species (who all share the same emphasis: the beauty of their foliage), we have gathered a few of our spring favorites.

Much as we love the traditional greens… eucalyptus, grevillea, melaleuca (they're always in season!), each year we wait for spring when colorful Leucadendron come into season. After all, what could possibly be better than field fresh Leucadendron? These proteas have strong qualities in terms of their feature-game. Their exquisite colors add vibrancy to any design. Their famed longevity means they will be relished for weeks. And who can resist the colorful cones? The petals of the Leucadendron are called bracts or modified leaves, and the true flower is the cone nestled among their bracts.

For inspiration, scroll down for a glimpse this season’s favorites.

Lennox

Maui Sunset #2

Senorita

Xanthoconus

Eucalyptifolium

Gold Strike

Rainbow Gold

Discolor

May Flowers

There are few flowers on the farm during the month of May that offer as much vivid color, distinctive form and unusual texture as pincushions, conebush and kangaroo paws.

Unlike flowers of the genus Protea, which rely on their showy bracts for visual appeal, 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 create colorful focal points in the field and when displayed in floral designs. The gorgeous cultivar, Flame Giant tops our list this month for its large flower head that reaches up to 6” in diameter.

It’s also hard to resist the Leucadendron or often called conebush, especially the silver coned Galpinii. A delightful variety with slender, silvery green foliage on straight stems that develop beautiful, silver cone-like flowers at the end of each stem. These cones are extremely durable and full of texture making them a stand-out in any bouquet or arrangement. Plus, when dried they're prefect for use in crafts and potpourri.

The Anigozanthos or commonly called Kangaroo Paws or K-Paws grow in clusters and are slender rather than voluminous. For this reason, many designers use them as line material. In addition, K-Paws have these fun and interesting woolly tubular blossoms that do indeed resemble kangaroo toes. The orange, yellow and red 'Tequila Sunrise' variety is not only a stand-out in the fields but in arrangements as well.

Leucadendron Heaven

At the height of winter, the leucadendron fields in Rainbow are immersed in botanical splendor. The flowering bracts from a stunning array of species and cultivars flutter through the air like butterflies in search of sweet nectar, floral displays are created in an attempt to embody the landscapes’ beauty, and hints of spring seem to appear around every hillside.

These barometers of the season begin to emerge as winter settles in, blooming from the cold days of January all the way through May. Though often known as "conebush" due to their colorful nuts, leucadendron are considered the foliage side of the Protea Family. Most Leucadendron are indigenous to South Africa, though some varieties have been found in Australia and New Zealand as well. Around 80 known species and countless subspecies and cultivars exist, and all share the same emphasis: the beauty of their foliage. The colorful petals of the leucadendron are called bracts or modified leaves, and the true flower is the cone nestled among their bracts.

Leucadendron Maui Sunset

Leucadendron Senorita

Leucadendron Safari Tricolor

Leucadendron Red Thumb

Leucadendron Candles

Leucadendron Inca Gold