Autumn - A Mosaic of the Season

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz

A Protea heaven on earth - that is what fall is like in our flower fields here is Southern California. The colors, textures, size and form of the various Proteaceae harvested provide an array of gorgeous flowers and foliage to choose from.  No wonder this family was named after the sea god Proteus in Greek mythology, who was the prophetic old man of the sea and shepherd of the sea's flock.

Proteus protected the seals of Poseidon on the island of Pharos, near the mouth of the Nile, and was able to adopt any shape he wished.  He knew all things - past, present and future and disliked sharing his knowledge.  If you wanted to consult him you had to surprise him during his siesta and tie him up.  Even when caught, he would try to escape by assuming many different shapes.  Even if you were able to trap Proteus, he would return to his original shape, answer your questions and plunge back into the sea. 

An amazing sea god and an amazing family of flowers and foliage.

Grevillea

Grevillea, beautiful flowers, unique filler, fabulous foliage and an amazing plant. This species has amazing growth habits, ranging from flowering groundcover, to beautiful scrubs and hedges, to tall colorful trees. The flowers range in color from white to pink, yellow to red and their size can be small and spider-like or large and bottlebrush-shaped. Foliage can be sharp and needle-like, soft and fern-like, or long branches with colorful jagged edges.

The Australian species of Grevillea consists of approximately 313 different varieties and 200 cultivars, and that number is continually increasing. Named for Charles Francis Greville, one of the founders of the Royal Horticulture Society in 1804, this member of the Proteaceae family is now cultivated by commercial growers and gardeners in many parts of the world. Some of the hardiest Grevillea have been grown in the United Kingdom for more than 100 years. Grevillea is also widely grown in the United States and South Africa, while the tropical varieties are cultivated in warmer parts of South Asia.


Grevillea Flowers

 

Grevillea Ivanhoe



Grevillea Red Hooks

 


Grevillea Johnsonii

  

Banksia

Banksia is named in honor of Sir Joseph Banks, who collected the first banksia specimens at Botany Bay during Captain Cook’s 1770 voyage.  They are truly one of the best known and spectacular genera in the Australian plant family Proteaceae with nearly 170 species.  These Australian wildflowers grow naturally in and around most of Australia’s coastal regions.  Some varieties have growth habits similar to ground cover, others like shrubs and some trees.  They can now be found in a wide variety of landscapes.  Banksia flowers are generally shaped like a cylinder, large acorn or bottle brush and range in size from 4” to 12”.  Colors range from silvery green through brilliant gold, yellows and orange to violet, deep red and even black tones.  Banksia foliage varies greatly from small and piney to long and narrow to large, leathery and with deep serrated teeth.  Unlike most of southern Australian wildflowers the main flush of flowers come not in spring but in summer, autumn and winter.  Not only are these flowers colorful and full of texture, they offer a long-lasting performance as a single stemmed presentation, weaved into a fall wreath, or combined with other traditional flowers.

Banksia Wreath

Banksia Ashbyii

Banksia Candles

Banksia Speciosa

Banksia Prionotes

Banksia Coccinea

Fynbos

Fynbos literally means "fine bush" and is a special type of vegetation that accounts for more than 80 percent of the plant species in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom. Over two-thirds of these plant species are not found growing naturally anywhere else in the world.  Fynbos, one of South Africa's treasured natural heritages, consists of approximately 100 different plant families.  The three largest families are: the small-leaved ericas, the large-leaved proteas, and the grass-like restios.  It is absolutely incredible to see colorful protea, leucadendron and berzelia growing wild along the roads and hillsides.





The Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest of the six plant kingdoms in the world, and occupies a small four percent of South Africa’s land, yet it is one of the earth’s hot spots because of its excellent biodiversity. Currently, more than 1,400 species of fynbos plants are threatened due to human actions such as construction, agriculture and the growing economic value of these plants and flowers. 

Fynbos is one type of vegetation, there are many other types to enjoy which include fabulous trees, plants and flowers that surround us every day!   Make it a point to get outdoors, go for a walk and hear the music in nature.

Leucadendron

This wonderful genus of the Protea Family consists of some 80 species and many more subspecies and cultivars. Once found exclusively in South Africa’s Cape Floral Kingdom, they have the sexes on separate plants and have distinctive, colorful flowering bracts and varying textures.

Currently, there are a large number of varieties being grown for the floral trade in several countries throughout the world. The best known variety being the New Zealand raised cultivar “Safari Sunset”. In the past, large volumes of leucadendron were shipped from South Africa to Europe, where it was sold in flower markets as “Cape Greens” and treated as a long-lasting filler-foliage. This image has changed with the realization that many leucadendron blooms are beautiful flowers in their own right, and as a result the demand for them has increase dramatically.

All of the varieties feature here were photographed during the late summer months when they take on their brilliant tones of reds, burgundy, and greens—a perfect addition to any fall design or bouquet.

Mimetes

Often considered the most spectacular genus of the  Protea Family, the eleven species of Mimetes are endemic to South Africa's Cape Floral Region.  The name Mimetes is derived from the Greek meaning "to imitate" which refers to the close resemblance of its toothed leaves to some of its other family member, like Leucospermum or better known as Pincushion. 

Other common names for this species are pineapple bush or red bottlebrush.  These names describe the clusters of bright red, yellow and green terminal leaf bracts with a round, hooded appearance and encased white-tufted flowers which are nestled in the axils of the leaves; and displayed throughout much of the year.

Mimetes is truly one of the most strikingly beautiful of Proteas and is a prized cut flower.

Leucadendron Silver Tree

Famed for its spectacular foliage, Leucadendron Argenteum or sometimes called "Cape Silver Tree" has wonderful large, broadly pointed green leaves covered in silver silken hairs.  These leaves create a vivid display as they shimmer in the wind.

What is Silver Tree's Secret?  

You don't know whether it is a male or a female until the day it flowers and shows off with large, pure silver egg-like cones (female) or yellow pollen surrounding small silver buds (male).  The Silver Tree relies on wind for dispersing its seeds instead of having to attract birds or other dispersers.  Each fruit looks like a small nut and is equipped with a "parachute".  Once the seed is freed by strong winds, it can travel a considerable distance thanks to its design.

Silver Tree branches are stunning when used in arrangements and its individual leaves are ideal in corsages and boutonnieres.   The leaves also retain their silver color when dried, and can be painted or even used as a book marker.