Behind the Scenes: June Farm Tour

Farm tours are a wonderful way to celebrate the season, especially in June… California Grown Flowers Month!

The last six months, we’ve had the pleasure to exhibit in several Garden shows and to do Protea presentations for local horticulture clubs. These events provided us a welcome break from our normal farm activities and gave us the opportunity to explore the community. So, naturally when our friend, Ed Fitzgerald, Program Chair of the MiraCosta Horticulture Club, asked us to put together a farm tour for his group we were delighted to open our farm gate and show them around. After all, Ed was an amazing host when we visited the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens and MiraCosta College earlier this spring.

We luckily picked the perfect June morning for the tour, blue skies and 75 degrees… a relief after several days of our typical ‘June Gloom’. We started off by providing the group with a little ‘insider information’ on our farm and what we’re up to this time of the year. Then off to the greenhouse and nursery we went to see where everything begins, sprouts and develops its roots here on the farm. Next stop, the packing area and cooler to watch as our crew prepared the daily orders. Finally, for a little ‘hands-on’ the group observed as we created a protea bouquet and then, it was their turn to create a bouquet of their own. We had a terrific morning sharing our farm and flowers with so many friends, and it was the perfect way to help celebrate California Grown Flowers Month!

Discovering the Wonderful World of Proteaceae

As SoCal dried out over the weekend, 'Impressive' rainfall totals were tallied and the mountains are covered with snow, making it a perfect time to chat about ‘Horticulture’. It’s always a privilege to share our passion for Protea farming and that’s exactly what we did. With over 40 members of the MiraCosta Horticulture Club - The January meeting topic: Discovering the Wonderful World of Proteaceae.

The MiraCosta Horticulture Club was organized in 1988 and draws its members mostly from the Oceanside and Vista area, but they also have members from the surrounding areas, including Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos, and Escondido. Though not directly affiliated with MiraCosta College in Oceanside, the majority of their fundraising efforts go to benefit the Horticulture program at the college, primarily as scholarships for the Horticulture students.

The presentation began by discussing the history of Proteaceae from the days of Gondwanaland to its introduction to California soil in the early 70's. The unique and interesting variations between the South African and Australian genera, as well as the differences between a protea cultivar and a hybrid were also highlighted.

Then, on to the growing aspects of Proteaceae from propagation techniques, to soil requirements, watering, fertilizing and pruning as well as how they can be incorporated into home gardens or planted in pots were also covered. Finally, we wrapped up the presentation by sharing pictures of our favorite protea arrangements, bouquets and of course a wreath!