Leucadendron Senorita

New year, new preferences! There's no better time to switch up your Leucadendron favorites than at the start of a brand-new year. If you have been sourcing the same varieties for years (like Safari Sunset or Jester), and you want step outside of your comfort zone and experiment with something new… winter through early spring is the best time to do it. As the weather gets colder, Leucadendron seemingly ‘wake up’ and make superb winter flowers in a variety of colors and textures. With the season’s abundance of this fabulous foliage, we turn to a ‘newbie’ here on the farm.

Leucadendron Senorita… a simply stunning and mesmerizing hybrid! The flowering bracts go through a succession of color stages as they mature, from crimson blushes on a creamy hue to bright pink-burgundy tones. Masses of breathtaking blooms are displayed on very long straight stems.

And for a little history… Senorita is thought to be a combination of Leucadendron salignum and discolor. This amazing plant was developed in South Africa in the 1990’s by Gail Littlejohn, a protea pioneer, and named by a New Zealand farmer who cultivated it for the floral industry.

It’s no secret that we think Leucadendron should definitely be receiving a lot more LOVE this year… after all, switching up your favorites it a great way to boost your mood and inspire even more creativity.

Protea Susannae

Like clockwork… just days following the summer solstice, we’re seeing Susannae! Yes, it’s that time of the year once again when we transition from pincushion season into protea season and there’s a bounty of pink buds popping up throughout the fields. Typically, one of the first protea to arrive on the summer scene is Susannae, and it’s time to put her in the spotlight.

Protea Susannae is one of the easiest protea to grow and quite prolific summer through fall! This gorgeous flower is comprised of a large cup-shaped bloom surrounded by pinkish-red bracts with beige tints. The peaked central dome takes on a wine hue that fades into a pinkish-white at the base, looking a bit ‘shabby-chic’ when the flower is fully open. The leaves are long and dark green with a faint red fringe.

Stunning no matter how arranged, Susannae is perfect mixed in bouquets, centerpieces and especially wreaths!

Protea Nitida - Waboom

Commonly known as waboom (Afrikaans for wagon tree) and botanically known as Protea nitida or arborea. This is a South African shrub, native to the dry slopes of South Africa where it often attains a knotted picturesque habit, has both functional and ornamental uses. In Africa waboom was traditionally used to make ink and construct wheel-wheels.

However, this protea is also a lovely shrub or tree with large, ivory flowers and beautiful foliage. Waboom has long, oval leaves that are leathery and fully evergreen. They emerge opaque magenta but mature to a light bluish 'sea-green' or silver. Large, white flowers bloom mainly during the winter and early spring. Each blossom opens from a tidy bud to an impressive flower with creamy-white spike-like stamens.

Once the flowers dry, beautiful pods remain to be enjoyed.

Protea Madiba

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do. - Nelson Mandela

The true hero of South Africa. The man who fought for equal rights for all and a country that stands ‘United as One’. Nelson Mandela is one of the most influential, respected and loved men in South Africa. And, did you know he has made such an impact on South Africa and has such a legacy that he has a Protea named after him? South Africa’s national flower is the King Protea and there is a special vibrant red variety that is absolutely striking, and known to many by Mandela’s tribe name, Madiba.

Protea Nitida

Commonly known as waboom (Afrikaans for wagon tree) and botanically known as Protea nitida or arborea. This is a South African shrub, native to the dry slopes of South Africa where it often attains a knotted picturesque habit, has both functional and ornamental uses. In Africa waboom was traditionally used to make ink and construct wheel-wheels.

However, this protea is also a lovely shrub or tree with large, ivory flowers and beautiful foliage. Waboom has long, oval leaves that are leathery and fully evergreen. They emerge opaque magenta but mature to a light bluish 'sea-green' or silver. Large, white flowers bloom mainly during the winter and early spring. Each blossom opens from a tidy bud to an impressive flower with creamy-white spike-like stamens. Once the flowers dry, beautiful pods remain to be enjoyed.

Heath or Heather?

Did you know the Ericaceae family is divided into two different genera of plants: heaths and heathers? Although both belong to the same family, they are botanically different and are divided into the Erica genus and the Calluna genus. The heaths belong to the Erica genus and there are approximately 4,500 species worldwide and of these 700 occur in the Cape Floral Kingdom, making them the largest family of fynbos . 

The Erica with its upright spirals of brilliant blossoms can be described, as simply elegant. The vibrant blossoms vary in shape and size from tiny to several inches in length and come in virtually all color combinations except blue. Other than heaths' greater susceptibility to cold weather, the main difference between heaths and heathers is that heaths have needlelike leaves rather than flat leaves; and come in taller shrub forms and even some small trees.

Here’s just of a few of our favorites grown here in Rainbow:

Erica Sparsa

Erica Verticillata

Erica Versicolor

Erica Baueri

Erica Baueri - White

For a glimpse of more heaths here’s a link to our Pinterest Board!

Ericas have become a welcome addition to our world of flowers!

Protea Care & Handling: Tips From Chrysal

With alluring flower colors, exotic shapes and rugged woody stems, proteas are the new “It” bloom. The family tree originates in South Africa and these blooms love sun and sugar, especially Eximia, Latifolia, and Dutchess varieties.

The key to long vase life and minimizing leaf blackening is attention to temperature and processing stems into flower food, full sugar flower food. The best holding temperature range for protea is 38-42F. Cold temperatures and a well-lit cooler (proteas like to rest with the light on) greatly reduces leaf blackening.

Processing stems in flower food on arrival rather than selling dry from the box also limits blackening issues. Fill buckets with full-sugar flower food—Chrysal Professional #3, the same product for filling vases. It’s best to use the powder formula because protea like glucose and the Pro #3 sugar ingredient is 100% glucose.

What’s the difference between Chrysal Professional #2 holding solution and Professional #3 vase solution? The amount of sugar. Both solutions keep the water clean and flowing up to 5-6 days. Both lower pH to stimulate flow, but holding solutions (Pro #2) contains less sugar than vase solutions (Pro#3). Holding solutions are perfect for wholesale and retail display and wet-pack shipping, but protea, tuberoses and lisianthus are some of the exceptions—these blooms thrive best in high sugar solutions.

Many Thanks to Chrysal and Gay Smith for these helpful tips!