The Gift of Flowers

Flowers are and always will be one of the Greatest Gifts of Nature!  It's no surprise when we think of holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day that flowers are among the first things that come to mind - they always bring so much joy and cheer to sweethearts, family and friends!  However, this month we discovered another gift that flowers are bringing to the lives of students at John Muir High School in Pasadena, CA - The Gift of Education!

Meet Mud Baron, Director of Muir Ranch CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Since summer 2011, Mud and an incredibly dedicated team of volunteer teachers and students have been converting 2 acres of the John Muir HS campus into an urban farm.  Any student of Muir can participate in hands-on learning at the Ranch by enrolling in one of three classes or applying for the after school internship program.  The vision is for the Ranch to be integrated into every discipline taught at Muir High School, including science, math, English, art, and environmental studies.  Muir's mission is to teach their students important business and life skills, provide them with meaningful employment, and improve access to fresh, affordable, locally-grown produce and flowers!

In January, Mud started an indiegogo crown funding campaign to raise $10,000.00 so they could expand the farm and create a 'Pasadena Rose Garden' featuring David Austin Roses as well as develop a floral busness social enterprise.  Pasadena doesn't have a proper, public rose garden or actual arboretum so Mud decided to combine their working farm with a public garden as a way to expand the school's garden program. Currently Muir Ranch employs about a dozen students year round and would like to double that in 2014. They needed $10,000 to buy and install more shrubs and expand the current irrigation system.  In addition, they want to improve their website and marketing materials that will eventually aid the students in their social enterprise efforts.  So, all of us here at Resendiz Brothers decided to jump in and contribute to the cause by donating some South African and Australian Native plants to the school's garden if they reached their campaign goal of $10,000 by the deadline on January 13th. Which they eventually surpassed at $11,540 with only eleven hours to spare!  Congratulation Muir Ranch! 

Protea, Banksia, Pincushions, Waxflower and more will soon become a part of this exciting new floral enterprise.

Mud's truck was filled to the rim and prepared for a quick trip to Pasadena.

He found a new friend - Arlan, our rooster, who was ready to help cleanup any lunchtime  leftovers.

  Mud even decided to try his hand at designing with Protea - definitely a new experience for this 'Dahlia Man'! 

Looking Good!

Oh yeah - there's always a little time for social media too!

"The act of giving something to others is an art of flowering your heart" - Vinayak

Waxflower - Fabulous February Flowers

When it comes to flowers there's no month quite like February.  Yes, I know what you're thinking.  Well of course, February 14th is Valentine's Day and everyone knows it's a big flower holiday.  That's true, but there's really much more to February than Valentine's Day. It's the month when we harvest our most extensive array of gorgeous flowers.  We see Protea, Banksia, Pincushion, flowering Leucadendron, Berzelia, blooming Grevillea and an amazing assortment of Waxflower, it's floral bliss - so much to choose from.

However, if I have to pick out a February Favorite I'd definitely say Waxflower wins my heart!  The season has just begun and the first varieties to be harvested are the Hybrid's with their large colorful blooms and crisp green foliage.  These gorgeous fillers have a lacy spring flair with a sweet scent and they mix with most any flowers and foliage.  However, more and more these days I'm starting to see them used in some very special ways and often featured all on their own - in floral crowns, boutunorniers, bouquets and simple vases.  Here's just a few examples of how these gorgeous clusters of blooms can make a sweet impression (photographers unknown). 

Pantone Colors for Spring 2014

As a flower farmer I'm constantly surrounded by color - it's what I live and breathe every day. Whether I'm deciding what new plants to put in the fields, what flowers to harvest for a particular arrangement or what pictures to use in a newsletter or blog - color is always a big consideration. And so naturally, when I came across this list of Pantone Colors for Spring 2014 I began to think about how the spring flowers and foliage I grow fit into this color scheme.

Yes, Dazzling Blue, Pantone's top color pick for Spring 2014 is a beautiful, I love blue - only there's no real blue Proteaceae.  However, when a Beautiful Scarlet pincushion is mixed with a Dazzling Blue flower the color combination is fabulous!

When it comes to the flowers I'll be harvesting this spring, Cayenne, Celosia Orange and Freesia are the perfect fit.  Cayenne, the color of Pincushion Spider, is a delicate sweet shade and is ideal for any spring arrangement or bouquet.

Celosia Orange is a spicy shade of orange and full of energetic color!  Pincushion Chicago is my choice for this palette.

Freesia is a 'cheerful sunshine' color that blends wonderfully with most any color and is certain to evoke warm and joyful feelings.  Pincushion High Gold does just that!

What's your top colors for Spring 2014 and what flowers will you choose to bring them to life?

Showing and Sharing the Wonderful World of Proteaceae

This week I had the privilege to show and share a little of my passion for Proteaceae with over 200 members of the Village Garden Club of La Jolla.  The focus of their January meeting was Horticulture and Dr. Peter Sacks, MD, a dear friend & former owner of Zorro Protea Farm, and I were invited to do a presentation on "The Wonderful World o f Proteaceae".

The Village Garden Club was founded in 1974 by a small group of women with fresh ideas and lots of enthusiasm.  Now,39 years later they have a strong membership of 425, each contributing and sharing their own unique talents.  Their club is one of the most dynamic in the Palomar District in California, providing an outstanding schedule of programs, field trips, workshops and other activities throughout the year.

Our presentation began with Dr. Sacks discussing the history of Proteaceae from the days of Gondwanaland to its introduction to California soil in the early 70's.  He also talked about the unique and interesting variations between the South African and Australian genera, as well as the differences between a protea cultivar and a hybrid.

As the California Protea Farmer, my presentation covered the growing aspects of Proteaceae from the soil requirements, to watering, fertilizing and pruning as well as how they can be incorporated into home gardens or planted in pots.  I also shared pictures of protea arrangements, bouquets and of course a wreath!

The podium was graced with an amazing display of our morning's protea harvest.

A protea wreath was predominantly displayed on stage and was later auctioned off to the highest bidder to raise funds for the Garden Club's community projects.

Dozens of gorgeous protea bouquets and plants were on hand for the members to enjoy and take home.

This event was all about Showing & Sharing the Joy of Horticulture and our Passion for growing Proteaceae.

Many thanks to Gleneva Belice, the Village Garden Club of La Jolla's 1st Vice President, for making Proteaceae the club's passion for the month!

The Village Garden Club of La Jolla's theme for 2013-2014:

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant".

Wattle: A Burst of Winter Sunshine

It's not uncommon during these first few weeks of January to see beautiful fluffy yellow balls hanging or intertwine in the branches and leaves of the Wattle Trees or as we call them - Acacia.  These small flowers bloom in clusters that almost look like they're one flower and can range from pale, creamy yellow to bright yellow.  Like little bursts of winter sunshine, Wattle has its own sweet scent that varies from one variety to the next and some, like the Golden Wattle, have been used to make perfume.

Did you know that these fluffy yellow flowers have a special meaning and sentiment to many Australians?  During World War I it was a common practice to place a sprig of Wattle inside letters to soldiers to remind them of home.  Today, Golden Wattle is the floral emblem of Australia, and Wattle Day is celebrated on September 1st.

As a cut flower, it's best to choose a bunch that has only about one third of its flowers open and lots of fresh green foliage.  Wattle mixed with colorful winter Leucadendron like Inca Gold and Tricolor will certainly add a spark of winter sunshine to any spot in your home or office.
 

 
 

Serruria - From Nearly Extinct to Our First Harvest

Serruria is one of the most delicately beautiful flowers of the Proteaceae family and has achieved something of a connoisseur status among designers, partly because of its relative rarity in cultivation and because of its soft color, unique look and wonderful texture.

Did you know Serruria Florida was extinct for nearly 100 years in the wild in South Africa until an accidental fire germinated seeds in the Fransch Hoek Mountains?  Fortunately, conservation efforts in the 1960's and 70's saved it and now this beautiful flower is being grown and harvested in many parts of the world.

This week we added Rainbow to the list of places Serruria is now being cutivated!  We've waited for this moment for many years - searching for the plants and cuttings, learning to understand and manage their tender nature and locating the perfect spot to plant them.  As you can see the wait was definitely worth it, we harvested many beautiful stems of California Grown Serruria and it was certainly a cause for Celebration!

In the years ahead, we plan to increase our production of Serruria and hopefully make Rainbow home to a few more varieties of this delightful genus from South Africa's Cape.

Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities of the world.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just as a new bloom spreads fragrance and freshness around....
May the new year add a new beauty and freshness into your life!

From all of us here at Resendiz Brothers
we wish you all the very best in 2014!