June Articles of Interest

San Diego County farmers fight
for share of federal COVID-19 relief money

Farmers who grow San Diego County’s most valuable crops may miss out on federal cash for coronavirus-related losses because some of their agriculture products — primarily flowers, nursery plants and exotic fruits — are not included in the relief program.

Read more here.
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The coastal banksia has its roots in ancient Gondwana

If you fondly remember May Gibbs's Gumnut Baby stories about the adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, you may also remember the villainous Big Bad Banksia Men (perhaps you're still having nightmares about them).

But banksias are nothing to be afraid of. They're a marvelous group of Australian native trees and shrubs, with an ancient heritage and a vital role in Australian plant ecology, colonial history and bushfire regeneration.

Read more here.
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American-grown blooms for American Flowers Week

You’re invited to join the Social Media experience and share images of #redwhiteblueflowers for #americanflowersweek (June 28-July 4). Of course, we hope everyone features local and seasonal flowers — from your own garden, or sourced from a flower farm in your area.

We love what Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore and The Floral Source has launched as part of her AMERICAN FLOWERS WEEK promotion and we want to share it here to inspire your own floral plans!

Read more here.

June Gatherings

Everyone loves the laid-back days of summer… especially when they’re on a holiday… like Independence Day! The sounds, smells, textures and sights of summer fill the days and nights with feelings of joy and excitement.

If you are lucky enough to have a garden, potential flower arrangements to boost the ‘ambiance’ are just footsteps from your door. Otherwise, shops, roadside stands and farmers' markets are brimming with seasonal flowers to take home and enjoy.

Selecting and gathering your own flowers not only allows you to express your creative style, but they also bring the freshness and beauty of nature into your home. When you decorate with fresh flowers and foliage that reflect your unique personality, it makes for an unforgettable rendezvous that your guests will reminisce about for weeks.

To show how I expressed my floral creativity using protea this month, I created five designs that will hopefully inspire you to create your own. Cheers to June… California Grown Flowers Month!

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!

Color Enhanced Banksia

The brighter the better in some cases, and that’s what we’re loving these days when it comes to banksia.

The banksia is a bold and textural bloom that’s displayed in many of our favorite designs. For any season, there’s always a way to make them work no matter what the occasion is. I think the uniqueness of a banksia is what makes it loved by so many of us. When it comes to designing with banksia, the options are seemingly endless. Such an exceptional flower can be transformed by the designer, projecting a different look depending on what else it is paired with it. You can go with red, white and blue hues, or add more color to the stems and create a virtual rainbow.

Color Enhanced Banksia are eye-catching flowers when combined with lively, vibrant colors and the unique bloom shape. The flower spikes provide a textured look and feel, indulging even more into the brilliance of the colors and showing them off with intensity, boldness, and flare. Banksia are hardy flowers and they dry beautifully, making them a perfect option for or almost any occasion, like Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas… the possibilities are endless.

Protea King Bouquets Designed by Mel

We walk a shrewd line when it comes to creating a ‘one-of-a-kind’ King Bouquet: not only are kings totally striking on their own, but they look particularly intriguing when mixed in a bouquet. The large central dome that’s surrounded by spiky bracts with a smooth, velvety texture certainly begs a second look. The extraordinary shape of the bracts or petals gives the bloom a regal, crown-like appearance… it’s an oversized statement flower that looks absolutely fabulous in bouquets.

Captivated by the king? Well, when an occasion calls for a little extra ‘king-power’ here on the farm, we step back and call in our favorite flower-farmer-florist, Mel. His idea of designing a bouquet is basically like planning a meal: once he decides on the main course, the side dishes fall into place. When it comes to his king bouquets, the king or kings obviously take center stage as their color and texture make each bouquet come to life.

In case you don’t have a passionate protea farmer on-hand to whip up a few king bouquets to feast your eyes on, we asked Mel to share some of his recent favorites.

May Flowers

There are few flowers on the farm during the month of May that offer as much vivid color, distinctive form and unusual texture as pincushions, conebush and kangaroo paws.

Unlike flowers of the genus Protea, which rely on their showy bracts for visual appeal, 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 create colorful focal points in the field and when displayed in floral designs. The gorgeous cultivar, Flame Giant tops our list this month for its large flower head that reaches up to 6” in diameter.

It’s also hard to resist the Leucadendron or often called conebush, especially the silver coned Galpinii. A delightful variety with slender, silvery green foliage on straight stems that develop beautiful, silver cone-like flowers at the end of each stem. These cones are extremely durable and full of texture making them a stand-out in any bouquet or arrangement. Plus, when dried they're prefect for use in crafts and potpourri.

The Anigozanthos or commonly called Kangaroo Paws or K-Paws grow in clusters and are slender rather than voluminous. For this reason, many designers use them as line material. In addition, K-Paws have these fun and interesting woolly tubular blossoms that do indeed resemble kangaroo toes. The orange, yellow and red 'Tequila Sunrise' variety is not only a stand-out in the fields but in arrangements as well.

May Articles of Interest

A Blushing Bride on Your Wedding

Protea Blushing Bride is one of the most sought after wedding flowers. These are truly one of a kind. Think of a tropical peony, and you get the protea Blushing Bride, which is actually a member of the Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa. Some call this beauty serruria Florida.

Pointed petals that range from ivory-white to pale green to pale pink, open to reveal a blush center, hint the name, Blushing Bride. Combine with cymbidiums and spider chrysants for a tropical bouquet or combine with ranunculus and orlaya flowers for a romantic bouquet.

Read more here.
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The Prototypical Protea

There are stunning flowers, and there are stunning flowers. The protea, also known as the sugarbush, belongs to the latter category. You’ve probably seen these whimsical flowers in stylish bouquets and centerpieces, where their unusual beauty draws you in for a closer look. There are more than 1,500 species of protea, which is native to New Zealand, Australia, South America, and South Africa (stateside, they’re grown in California and Hawaii). King Protea, the largest, is so bulbous, so heavy, it’s a wonder it doesn’t just tip right over.

Read more here.
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Pick of the Proteas

Proteas have existed for over 300 million years, making them one of the oldest groups of flowering plants in the world. Despite their ancient roots, they look beautifully modern in any garden. They’re also low care, make great cut flowers, are bird attracting and share the same care needs as our own Aussie natives. Discover the most popular protea varieties as well as their South African cousins - leucadendrons, leucospermum and serruria - below.

Read more here.
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Benefits of Having Flowers and Plants at Home

Certainly, we all like to receive flowers and be able to decorate each of our spaces, or even with plants, both for its delicate beauty or for its aroma, but did you know that not only serve as decoration? Having flowers or plants has many benefits, and of course when you know you will try to have them in your home and work more frequently.

Read more here.