Protea Grandicolor

Current obsession: Grandicolor. This gorgeous protea is a mix of grandiceps and aurea… an unusual and unique combo to say the least. The cream bracts deepen to peach at the base and there is delicate pink + white lashes that surround the rusty-red center. The egg-shape foliage is small and leathery with a silvery-green hue and the stems straight and upright. Grandicolor produces exquisite, medium sized blooms off and on from autumn through spring. Dainty, cute and yeah, PERFECT for fall designs!

In the Field: Protea Aurea

Protea aurea’s most distinctive feature is undoubtedly the shuttlecock-shaped flower heads, measuring about 3 to 5” long, forming from a multitude of small flowers clusters ... hence the common name Shuttlecock sugarbush. Aurea starts to flower in early fall when little else is blooming in the field. Leaves are oval and egg-shaped at the base. They are grey-green, soft and velvety when young. This is to protect the delicate soft leaves from drying out in the sun and from being eaten by wild animals. After the first year, the leaves harden and develop a waxy coating. The hairs disappear, and a smooth leaf surface remains.

The flowers bloom at the top of branches. Buds are cylindrical and when tightly closed resemble a candle. The outer bracts are cream-colored at the tip of the flower changing to green-brown at the base of the flower. When the bud begins to open, the bracts expand outwards and bend outwards. This exposes the many flowers within which stand straight up.

Until recently, Protea aurea has had a very small distribution range and was only found in the Southern Cape. It was first discovered in 1940 and not found again until 1965. The name, aurea, means golden and it is thought that this name was given in error after seeing a dried bloom, as the flower heads fade to a dull yellow when dry.

Aurea is serotinous, meaning the seeds are held within the dried flower heads on the plant for a long period of time. This protects the seed from being eaten by predators. When there is a fire, the mother plant is abolished, and the flower heads burst open and release the seeds. The seeds fall to the ground and germinate prolifically after the first winter rains.

Reeves Pink Bottlebrush

When it comes to summer accent flowers, we have happily entered into an era of the Callistemon - it seems like every other month or so there’s a new batch of Reeves Pink blooms opening up that we just have to harvest. This abundance of delicate, petite flowers got us thinking how fun would it be to mix them with some of our favorite protea - so we can show our friends how wonderful they are when mixed in bouquets.

Callistemon are the true Bottlebrushes, though the name is often confused with Banksia, Melaleuca, Calothamnus and even Grevillea. This Australian genus of about 38 species is a member of the myrtle family. The soft flower spikes are made up of a large number of individual flowers and the foliage when crushed has a citrus scent. Bottlebrush is also easily recognized by the textural seed clusters that are produced after each flowering period.

What to look for:

• Buy when at least half the flowers in a spike are open and brightly colored. 
• Avoid bunches with drooping tips, yellow leaves or where all flowers are in a tight bud stage.

Flower Care:

1. Keep in a cool location. 
2. Strip leaves from the bottom half of each stem and wash stems thoroughly. 
3. Re-cut at least 1/2" off each stem and place in cold water. 
4. Always use a preservative as this will help keep open flowers looking fresh. 
5. Replace vase water every day.

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!