January Articles of Interest

IN THE GARDEN
Tricks to grow proteas away from their home

Growing proteas, pincushions and leucodendrons is a challenge in our part of the country, as the care you render to your usual garden plants here is rejected by the protea family.

For instance, feeding proteas with fertiliser as you would any other plant may be likened to letting a child loose in a sweet store. Unlike other plants the protea plant cannot control its uptake of nutrients - gorging itself to the detriment of the plant growth and sometimes leading to its demise.

Read more here.
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5 flower trends expected to surge in popularity in 2021

'Receiving or giving flowers and making your home beautiful will continue to be important next year,' says Larry Walshe, celebrity London florist and founder of Bloom.

'Following two national lockdowns, we have all learned that flowers are not just a luxury, but rather a necessity that bring joy, pleasure and a boost to wellbeing. The use of plants and flowers in the home is beneficial for both our physical and mental health, thanks to the air-purifying qualities of blooms and their ability to help reduce stress and anxiety.'

Take a look at the flower trends set to surge in popularity...

Read more here.
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Valentine’s Day Traditions from Around the World

The 24 hours of affection known as Valentine’s Day originated in Europe more than 1,500 years ago as a Christian feast commemorating the martyrdom of Rome’s St. Valentinus. However, the earliest known mention of Feb. 14 as an actual celebration of love occurs in 1375 AD within medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of Foules, a work that cites the 14th as the day both birds and humans are most likely to find mates.

American Valentine’s Day expressions of endearment include everything from greeting cards, love letters, and heart-shaped chocolates to a dozen roses, teddy bears, and balloons. It’s a day of marriage proposals, weddings, and nights dining out. But the United States isn’t the only country to celebrate romance. Nations around the world have spent centuries developing their own unique ways to mark love’s holiday. Here’s how some countries across the globe celebrate the day of love.

Read more here.

For the Love of Texture

A couple bunches of Berzelia or ‘Buttonbush’… is all you need for that occasional texture fix. This ‘other-worldly’ botanical is a BIG favorite of ours here on the farm. For all the visual impact these bobbles offer, their unique element of texture not only appeals to your sense of sight, but also to your tactile senses as well. Whether it is Berzelia Lanuginosa or Red Jelly, these small, round buttons are engaging, making you want to just reach out and touch them.

Berzelia, is one of approximately eight species found in the Bruniaceae family, one of the few families that is endemic to the Cape Floral Kingdom. It is a wonderful evergreen shrub that grows naturally in the wild from the northwestern to the southwestern parts of the Western Cape.

Berzelia can grow to more than 4 feet tall. Its branches are long, slender and straight. It has soft, fern-like foliage that surrounds the entire stem from top to bottom in a spiral-like design. The flowers are often massed in spherical heads and range in colors from creamy white to several shades of green, yellow and some varieties are even two-toned. Berzelia flowers from winter through spring. Then after flowering, it develops attractive, creamy white seeds that can remain on the shrub for at least one to two years. This wonderful botanical has become extremely popular among designers throughout the world for its exotic appearance and fabulous texture which compliments a range of stylist moods.

Creating Healthy Connections Through Flowers

Gather all things cheerful and bright! Quarantine hasn’t been easy, and it has definitely taken a toll on all of us. To feel better, we need to take action to keep our minds, bodies and businesses healthy. Having a positive mental attitude is number one, but the objects that surround us are vital too.

Flowers are not only a NATURAL remedy to help revitalize and balance our moods, but they also have so many other wonderful benefits.

Flowers connect people with nature. You’ve heard the saying, “stop and smell the roses.” While it might seem a bit cliché, it is advice actually worth taking, particularly when life feels chaotic. Flowers trigger the release of endorphins, the brain’s “happy” chemicals, which help you relax and make you feel more comfortable. Interacting with nature also has a positive effect on physical health. Considering the harmful effects that stress can have on the body, that old saying might be a bit more meaningful than you think.

Flowers are nature’s coaches… their care teach vital life skills, such as dependability, time management, creative thinking + self-awareness. Beyond their unspoken teaching talents, flowers are excellent entertainers too. Nurturing a garden or creating arrangements (for instance), are fun activities that are appropriate for just about everyone.

Flowers bridge the gap created by the need for physical distancing now being experienced between family, friends and co-workers. As stay at home measures keep once-normal gatherings to a minimum, floral gifts have reconnected individuals, allowing for the celebration of many missed moments.

Flowers with their own special meaning, serve as a ‘silent’ language. Bits of this tradition still remain used today, with certain varieties expressing feelings like love, friendship and gratitude. When words are not enough, flowers can help convey heartfelt emotion… such as red roses and tulips to declare affection, or proteas to express strength, courage and the ability to overcome obstacles.

Fortunately, no one needs a reason to ask if they deserve flowers, the answer will always be YES!

10 Yellow Inspired Protea Designs

Hello Yellow… Pantone has spoken! The color of the year is always a fun headline to look forward to every January. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, "The hue of yellow, called Illuminating (one of two colors selected for 2021), will help to fill people with energy, clarity and hope to conquer the continuing uncertainty, spirited and emboldening shades satisfy our quest for vitality. Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power."

Yellow has historically been used to kindle joy and inspired positivity. Plus, nature is where color begins, after all... and no color is more a representative of nature than bright yellow. In the natural world, yellow is the color of sunflowers and daffodils, bananas and lemons, bees, numerous birds and many of our favorite Leucospermum and Leucadendron. In nearly every culture on earth, yellow represents sunshine, happiness, and warmth.

Looking through our collection of yellow floral creations, we have several examples where we have used yellow as the principal color in each design.

There is no doubt yellow sparks a broad spectrum of emotions in all of us. While it can be playful and radiant, it can also be unforgiving and ominous, which makes it a wildly fascinating hue. The many facets of the color yellow reveal its extremely impactful spirit.

Protea Brenda

In the language of flowers, protea is said to symbolize diversity and courage… and if Brenda had her own special language, she would be the symbol of resilience too! When asked to describe this gorgeous bloom, the first words that come to mind are hot pink and faux. The dark pink bracts or petals which surround Brenda are shiny and durable not soft and velvety like many other protea. STUNNING. And, perfect if you’re into self-care and hoping to start 2021 off on the right foot.

As COVID continues to impact our daily lives, flowers are more vital than ever for our health and well-being (apparently, pink flowers, that often convey a message of romance, also stand for love for one’s self… which, by the way, is super important right now). While navigating through the challenges of this “new normal”, they’ll bring a much-needed dose of happiness to break anyone out of a stress-induced funk.

Photo by @kwiaciarniawtepedy

Photo by @constantiapera

Finally, as a reminder… no one needs a reason to ask if they deserve flowers today - the answer will always be YES!

Leucadendron Inca Gold

Looking for a winter pick-me-up? With one step into a field of Inca Gold, you can escape to a ‘botanical retreat’ filled with rays of golden sunshine, leaving the winter blues behind. Yes, Leucadendron, please! Who doesn’t love a burst of sunshine on a cold, dreary day? This popular cultivar (which is absolutely stunning during this time of the year) is believed to be a hybrid of L. laureolum and L. salignum yellow. The rich buttery-yellow flowering bracts (think Illuminating) with red tips do not open wide like many Leucadendrons as they tend to keep a closed tulip-like shape.

There’s no doubt the color yellow sparks a broad spectrum of emotions in all of us. While it can be playful and radiant, yellow can also be unforgiving and ominous, which makes it a wildly fascinating hue.

The many facets of the color yellow reveal its extremely impactful spirit.

Yellow can liven up any space instantly. It is, perhaps, one of the easiest ways to bring sunshine indoors and enjoy the soothing energy of nature while relaxing in your home. Yellow advances from surrounding colors and enlarges any space. It mimics a sun-filled space, creating feelings of liveliness and good cheer.

Welcome Winter’s Color Palettes with Festive Flowers

As 2021 (finally) draws nearer, we usher in winter with eager anticipation for the season’s many celebrations and, of course, its breath-taking blooms.

Discover the possibilities for this winter with our assemblage of floral creations. Featuring Proteas that indulge in the season’s warm color palettes, these unique designs will stir creativity and ignite holiday spirits well into the New Year.

A mix of lush pinks and subdued burgundy combined with forest greens create a quintessentially cheery holiday ambiance. To add more depth + dimension to a winter arrangement, showcase festive blooms, like Pink Minks and Bankisa menziesii.

Winter would not be complete without a wreath or two. Here, eucalyptus, Banksia intergrifolia and Grevillea Ivanhoe foliage set an idyllic base for textural eucalyptus pods, Leucadendron and colorful Protea, adding wonderful texture to complement the wreath's greenery.

Inspired by the season’s cold-weather hues, the crisp, whites and pale creams of Protea, Sugarbush + White Hawk and Leucadendron comprise an elegant winter palette in this wreath.

A gathering of bright, colorful Leucadendron Duet + Maui Sunset combined with warm neutral Protea obtusifolia + nitida create a radiant winter display.

Rich in texture and colors, Protea Cere and Brenda with burgundy lilies and chocolate callas. Stems of agonis, Leucadendron, Grevillea Flowers and peach blossoms add movement and a “spring feel” to this seasonal bouquet.

Winter jewel tones, like yellow citrine, emerald-green and turquoise, are the standout of this seasonal color scheme. The saturated hues and contrasting textures of the Protea, Leucospermum and feathery acacia further intensify the warmth of this display.