In the Field: Protea Grandicolor

The protea fields are more colorful this fall thanks to 'Grandicolor’.
A cross of P. grandiceps and P. aurea, this hybrid cultivar from Australia combines features from both parent plants in a unique combination. The greenish-cream bracts, which deepen to tan at the base, have a delicate pinkish rim and conspicuous hairs like the grandiceps and surround rusty-red centers. The egg-shape foliage is small and leathery with a silvery-green hue and the stems straight and upright like the aurea. Grandicolor produces dainty, medium sized blooms off and on from autumn through spring.

In the Field: Brandi dela Cruz

It’s that time of the year 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 ‘Best in Show’ display, there’s no doubt Leucospermum Brandi dela Cruz takes the gold for its dazzling carpet of color and texture. A field full of blooms in rich golden-yellow with orange tints and 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 mostly a mix of Leucospermum reflexum and lineare parents. Brandi dela Cruz is extremely prolific, long stemmed and has a very good vase life.

In the Field: Lady Di

Lady Di has just recently entered the Protea scene here in California and has done so in royal fashion! Considered a hybrid queen, this flower is a blend of P. magnifica (queen) and P. compacta. Lady Di has a medium-to-large bloom with a soft, velvety-pink appearance, obviously more compacta influence and lacking the woolly beards of the magnifica. The long floral bracts are plush and tipped in delicate white fur, then shading to cream at the base. The central peaked dome is silvery-pink, providing for a subtle yet noble combination. Lady Di blooms winter through early spring.

When harvested and mixed with other protea, there’s no doubt Lady Di is majestic!

Grevillea Ivanhoe

It’s no secret that we love lush, green foliage here at Resendiz Brothers. Our year-round favorite? Ivanhoe… bursting with color, texture and volume. This extremely popular species of the Australian genus of Grevillea is a hybrid cultivar derived from a combination of G. Longifolia and G. Caleyi. It has beautiful serrated and deeply cut foliage with deep green leaves and silver undersides, while new growth is a bronze color.

If you’re looking for something tall and showy, Ivanhoe is perfect… stems can be harvested from five to six feet tall and displayed in huge, elaborate arrangements. Need filler? Well then, take Ivanhoe’s long branchy stems and separate them into 15" to 18" stems to fill up your favorite vase or container.

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!