CPA Brunch

TOGETHER AGAIN! It has been three [long] years since the California Protea Association (CPA) - had its last member gathering. Yes, after the dark days of Covid, events are back and this month we went all out and hosted an alfresco brunch at the Institute of Contemporary Art - in Encinitas. How appropriate is that? This brunch was a real culinary treat as we partnered with Chef, Flor Franco - once again, and I’m so delighted to share it with you.

Garnering acclaim and a reputation for excellence, Flor Franco has served as the Executive Chef for several award-winning venues and restaurants, two Sundance Film Festivals, one Conde Nast dinner, hundreds of the world's best events, and has had the honor of designing and executing menus for Hollywood elite, dignitaries, national political figures and of course, CPA members.

We added festive protea flare to the brunch by designing a gorgeous wreath to welcome guests and created 20 colorful arrangements to garnish the tables and to set the scene.

Everyone mingled throughout the brunch, enjoying the delicious Spanish cuisine, and refreshing beverages plus, the lively mariachi band.

A unique group of farmers and gardeners gathered in one place for one moment to share the most universal human conversation: a meal. Chef Flor and her team created an amazing menu that left us all feeling like we had just eaten at a Five Star restaurant.

I hope this alfresco brunch in the museum gardens inspires you in some small way. To me, it felt like the perfect way to rekindle relationships with fellow protea farmers and friends as well as celebrate... July – American Grown Flowers Month!

Flower News: August’s Articles and Blogs of Interest from Around the World

DVCrush Celebrates #AmericanFlowersMonth

Our DVCrush Program has come a long way since we started back in March 2018. The excitement and creativity that has spawned from it in just these few short months is a reminder of the beauty our industry provides. We have seen countless images of stunning designs, florists working outside of their “comfort zone,” and even hosted a “Crush for a Cause” contest.

So when we started planning a theme for July, we quickly realized that it would be fun (and challenging) to celebrate American Flowers Month and include certified American Grown Flowers in the surprise boxes. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

The World's 10 Best 'Table to Farm' Dining Experiences

“Farm to table” has become so ubiquitous that it’s boring. (Also, the term never really made sense to me—doesn’t all food start out on a farm and end up on a table, even if that farm is some massive corporate entity and the food is processed along the way?) Now any chef worth his or her salt is making the most of seasonal ingredients from local farmers, with minimal intervention to them. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Science just uncovered one very good reason to buy yourself a bouquet of flowers today

No matter what your circumstances are (and how much you love your life) stress is something we all have to deal with. This is true for women especially: research has shown that about one in four women report feeling stressed multiple times per day. But what if there were an easy and inexpensive way to bring those stress levels down? Well, according to a new study, having flowers in your house can help keep your stress under control. Who knew it was that simple? Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Florists in 36 States Plan to ‘Petal It Forward’ on Oct. 24

As of late August, florists in 36 states and the District of Columbia had notified the Society of American Florists of plans to hold Petal It Forward events in their communities on Oct. 24. That leaves 14 states to go — Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming — for industry participation in all 50 states.

Support in every state, and as many cities as possible within each state, is critical to the success of Petal It Forward from a public relations standpoint, said the Society of American Florists Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks. Read more here.

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

FIELD TO VASE
DINNER TOUR 2018

American Grown Flowers’ annual dinner tour
make two stops in California in April.

On a patchwork of some 15 parcels of hilly land with rocky, dry soil in northern San Diego County, Ismael "Mel" Resendiz has carved out a floral paradise. His farm, clinging to steep, remote hillsides and linked to civilization with narrow dirt roads, many of which Resendiz himself built, defies convention. So does its signature product, the otherworldly but undeniably lovely protea. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Venice's Unlikely Florist grows
beyond his man-with-a-van beginnings

Like many L.A. stories, Spencer Falls’ began with a long list of restaurant jobs, auditions and the necessity of a side hustle. So when his goal to become an actor didn’t go as planned, he dreamed up an idea that had wheels — he decided to sell flowers out of his 1980 VW Vanagon on Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice. Read more here.
_____________________________________________________________

Senate Declares July
‘American Grown Flowers Month’

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution on June 12 designating July as “American Grown Flower Month.”

The resolution notes that the U.S. Senate recognizes: that purchasing flowers grown in the United States supports the farmers, small businesses, jobs and the U.S. economy; that growing flowers and greens in the United States is a vital part of the U.S. ag industry; and urges “all people of the United States to proactively showcase flowers and greens grown in the United States in order to show support for our flower farmers, processors, and distributors as well as agriculture in the United States overall.” Read more here.

Field to Vase: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

ENVISION YOURSELF… following a backcountry road shaded by eucalyptus trees, with brilliant red bottlebrush blooms waving to you in the breeze. Follow the path of the roo as you are transported Down Under to walk among kangaroos, wallabies and more—this is San Diego Zoo Safari Park Walkabout Australia!

On Memorial Day weekend, the Safari Park will open the new Walkabout Australia habitat, a lushly landscaped walk-through exhibit where visitors can see up close — and in some cases, touch — several species native to the land Down Under. They include Western gray kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, Southern cassowaries, Matschie’s tree kangaroos and magpie geese, as well as native Australian plants.

The Safari Park hosted a special dinner prior to the opening day to commemorate the new habitat and they needed 25 centerpieces to go with the decor. The horticulture staff at the park recommended the event staff contact Resendiz Brothers for the flowers. We were excited to be able to use an assortment of beautiful protea and Australian native flowers and foliage to create the perfect arrangements for the occasion.

To learn more - click here.

Field to Vase: American AgCredit Customer Appreciation Dinner

The Temecula Valley is Southern California’s Wine Country. Over 30 wineries populate the region’s rolling hills and sprawling valleys producing a variety of wines. It’s no surprise that this region has become a popular event destination.

This month, American AgCredit held its annual Customer Appreciation Dinner at Avensole Winery and Resendiz Brothers was asked to provide the flowers. We were excited to be able to use an assortment of beautiful protea that we don't often have available all at once, and we loved the idea of adding yellow callas to the mix.

The colorful combination of ivory, yellow, orange, pink, green and silver was a treat to work with and a feast for the eyes.

On ivory linens with burgundy napkins the centerpieces blended perfectly. Displayed in rustic whitewashed wooden containers we mixed an assortment of protea, pincushions, banksia, leucadendron, berzelia, brunia, eucalyptus and callas. Each centerpiece was unique and creatively designed adding a special ‘field to vase’ touch to this lovely vineyard location.

Mel and I enjoyed wearing our flower-farmer hats while creating these special arrangements.

New in the Field: Grandicolor

Our fields are looking a little more colorful these days thanks to ‘Grandicolor’, a new hybrid protea from Australia. This beautiful cultivar is a combination of P. grandiceps and P. aurea, a very unusual and unique cross to say the least. Its greenish-cream bracts, which deepen to peach at the base, have a delicate pinkish rim and conspicuous hairs like the grandiceps and surround rusty-red centers. Grandicolor produces dainty, petite blooms off and on from autumn through spring. The egg-shape foliage is small and leathery with a silvery-green hue and the stems straight and upright like the aurea.

From our field to the vase Grandicolor lives up to its name!