Firewheel Tree

Wow! What's that? This flowering beauty never fails to amaze, with its intricately formed, unusual blooms, held in large shiny foliage.

Stenocarpus sinuatus,or known as the Firewheel tree, an Australian rainforest tree in the Protea family is famed for its strikingly, bright red, orange and yellow whorled flowers, which as the name implies looks like wheels of fire! The flowers resemble several members of the family, like Grevilleas and Leucospermum, but they’re arranged in circular clusters (called inflorescences) and resemble the spokes of a wheel. The name comes from the Greek stenos, meaning “narrow” and carpos meaning “fruit”. The species name is derived from the Latin sinuatus meaning “wavy” referring to the leaves rounded edges.

This evergreen tree can reach up to 30’ tall and 20’wide. The long, shiny green leaves are deeply lobed while the tree is young, but older trees lose that youthful trait. The spectacular flowers are 2 to 3” long, usually appearing in summer and fall, but may show up whenever the tree feels like it.

Nectar-seeking birds pollinate the flowers while bats appreciate the taste of its nectar and tree kangaroos and wombats feast on the leaves.

The Protea Attraction - Hummingbirds

Despite being stunning cut flowers, proteas not only add color and texture to floral designs, but they also attract a symphony of nature's nectar-seeking guests like birds, bees, and butterflies. Once you've had the pleasure of observing these pollinators in action, it's only natural to want to see them more often, like my favorite... the hummingbird.

Hummingbirds love proteas thanks to the flower's abundance of both pollen and nectar, especially over the long winter months. It’s fascinating to watch a hummingbird as it darts around from bloom to bloom and the dance it performs is unlike any other bird. Its bright, shimmering colors, rapid flight, and the ability to hover in midair are a few of the traits that make it so unique. During courtship dives a hummingbird can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. It can rotate its wings in a circle and it's the only bird that can fly forward, backward, up, down, and sideways. Such high-energy movement requires that it feeds every ten to fifteen minutes. These amazing birds bring so much excitement and wonder to the field.

Hummingbirds are most attracted to flowers in shades of red and orange.

Our top 3 Hummingbird-Friendly Proteas

Protea - Sugarbush

The best-known genus of the protea family and the one for which it’s named. These flowers vary in size, shape, color, and form and rely on their showy bracts for visual appeal.

Grevillea Flowers – Bush Lollies

These lollipop-like flowers, also referred to as Bush Lollies, Bush Toothbrush and Spiderman, provide masses vibrant, textural blooms throughout the year. Their popularity comes from their willingness to flower and flower.

Leucospermum - Pincushions

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 make for colorful rest stops (or landing pads) between flights.

Protea Repens

The famed Sugarbush or Suikerbossie, Protea repens, was South Africa's national flower until 1976. It got its common name, Sugarbush, from the abundance of nectar that the blooms produce. So much in fact that early settlers in South Africa’s Cape Province, collected the nectar and made syrup called “bossiestroop”. Cape sugarbirds are also very fond of the sweet nectar and can often be seen chasing one another as they feast from one bush to the next.

Sugarbush or Suikerbossie (Afrikaans) is also a term of endearment that could be translated as "sweetie". The song Suikerbossie ek wil jou he (Sugarbush, I want you so) was composed on Lion's Head in Cape Town and shows how sweet the Sugarbush must be to inspire such romance. Suikerbossie ek wil jou he is a traditional South African Barn Dance Song and this English version of the song eventually became an international hit.

SUGARBUSH, I WANT YOU SO:

Sugarbush, I want you so
Sugarbush, I want you so
Sugarbush, I want you so
What will your mother want to say.
Then like that, we'll walk under the moon
Then like that, we'll walk under the moon
Then like that, we'll walk under the moon
Together, my sugarbush and I.

Sugarbush are harvested here in California from autumn through early winter - so now's the time to make these beautiful blooms a part of your next arrangement or bouquet!

In the Field: Protea cynaroides – Kings

It’s safe to say we’ve been seeing an abundance of King Protea in bouquets and centerpieces lately. There’s been a little something for every ‘King Connoisseur’… bouquets featuring just a single stem all alone to lavish designs where they’re mixed with an array of awesome blossoms. And we figured if you’re as crazy about kings as we are, you’d want to know a few interesting facts about these chic flowers.

The artichoke-like appearance of the king’s flower-head lead to the name ‘cynaroides’, which means ‘like cynara’… the artichoke. The name does no justice to the beautiful blooms of this protea, which is the largest in the genus. There are over eighty varieties of kings and they're divided into groups according to their leaf type. The leathery leaves vary from large and rounded to small and narrow and their huge flowers can be wide open, almost like a 12” dinner plate or a narrow funnel shape. These flower heads consist of numerous small, tubular-shaped blooms or also called an inflorescence. Their color can range from greenish-white through soft silvery pink to deep red, with each variety having its own flowering time.

King protea are perennial plants that can survive many years in the wild. They also tolerate fires thanks to their thick underground stem filled with numerous dormant buds which starts to sprout shortly after a fire. Fires also assist with drying the cones and releasing seed, while the wind helps spread the seed and seasonal rain triggers germination.

Kings provide a rich source of nectar which attracts birds and insects of all kinds who in return are responsible for pollinating these awesome plants.

An Eastern Spinebill on a King Protea by Greg Miles

In the Field: Banksia Ashbyii

We're feeling inspired this summer with a fresh take on a favorite orange Banksia: Ashbyii or also called Ashby’s Banksia. What appears to be one large, showy cylindrical flower is actually a dense cluster of up to several thousand individual blossoms. Ashbyii’s beautiful orange flowers add vibrancy and texture in the field or garden and is a treat in floral arrangements, bouquets and wreaths.

Speaking of treats, banksia nectar once provided a sweet treat for Aboriginal people, who sucked the flower spike or soaked it in water to make a drink.

After flowering, the spike develops into a woody cone with tightly closed follicles, each containing one or two seeds. The cone or pod performs the all-important task of protecting the seeds until the time is right for germination – which, for most banksias, is after a BBQ or bushfire.

Flower Care:

1. Keep cool when possible. 
2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem. 
3. Re-cut at least 1/2" off each stem and place in cold water. 
4. Never bash or split stems. 
5. Replace vase water every day as Banksia are thirsty flowers. 
6.  Never mist banksias as this could cause black marks to appear.

Grevillea Johnsonii – Hummingbird Magnet

Grevillea johnsonii is a beautiful, slightly weeping evergreen shrub with long needle-like, dark green leaves.  However, there’s no doubt this amazing Grevillea truly ‘comes to life’ when flowering - as it does profusely.  The loose clusters of extremely showy spidery pinkish-red flowers produced from late winter through the spring months make a strong but elegant contrast with the foliage.

These showy blossoms are very popular among pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds - especially the hummingbirds!  Another name for Johnsonii should be - Hummingbird Magnet!  Herds of hummingbirds happily feast on the sweet nectar!  They are beautiful as they dart around from flower to flower and the dance they perform is unlike any other bird.  Their bright, shimmering colors, rapid flight and the ability to hover are a few of the traits that make them so unique.  Such high-energy movement requires that they feed every ten to fifteen minutes.  Hummingbirds are most attracted to flowers in shades of red like Grevillea johnsonii, of course!