Resendiz Brothers' Harvest News

Harvest News

Sharing the beauty of Fynbos & Australian natives, especially the family of Proteaceae!

September 2020

The Nature Connection

For the last several months, it seems like the world has almost come to a complete halt. Businesses have closed, travel has been limited, and people are working from home to stop the spread of COVID-19. This virus has affected millions of individuals all over the world.

Amidst this pandemic we’ve all learned a few important lessons.

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Banksia Menziesii

Banksia menziesii, also called Menzies' banksia, firewood banksia, port wine banksia or Raspberry Frost. Because every fall arrangement needs a robust yet stunning bloom like this one! The flower spikes are showy and vibrant, dark pink-red or raspberry in color that become intermingled with yellow as they mature. Other colors like bronze and greenish-yellow menziesii exist as well. Each bloom is composed of up to 6,000 individual flowers (inflorescence) and set against a backdrop of chic twisted grey-green leaves.

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American Grown Wedding Inspiration: Taylor and Robin

Protea lovers, delight! We couldn’t be more excited to share some American Grown wedding inspiration with you. Last month, Mel and I put on our flower farmer florist hats and went all out designing and creating the wedding flowers for our friend, Taylor Zumstein. She tied the knot with Robin Reese at her family’s horse ranch on a beautiful summer evening. We just loved the way this wedding combined the elements of soft and strong with lots of gorgeous protea, textural green brunia, delicate pink peonies and wispy white veronica.

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September Blogs & Articles of Interest

A horticulturist's guide to Australian native plants

Why natives? Well that’s our specialty at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and we are here to share what we know about native plants, encourage home gardeners to grow them and celebrate their unique beauty with the world.

The horticulture team at the Garden carefully look after the incredibly diverse native plants that are found across the woodlands, grasslands, rainforests, horticultural displays and new seedlings in the Nursery - encompassing 416 hectares of land.

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Mel's Field Notes

Hello friends,

Many of the protea plants here on the farm are in full bloom, and I sense they know that fall is finally upon us as the mornings and evenings are slowly taking on a slight chill! Like me, I’m sure they’re all are looking forward to cooler temperatures and putting the summer’s heatwaves behind us.

Our premier protea right now is the Pink Ice... what a hardy bloom (especially when the mercury is rising)! I find myself always reaching for them when putting together bouquets during this time of the year. The beautiful silvery-pink bracts and rose-colored central dome with that splash of wine at the tip is hard to resist. This week, we’ve also started harvesting the Grandicolor. Perfect for fall designs. Its cream-colored bracts deepen to tan at the base and have a delicate pink furry-like rim surrounding rusty centers. The egg-shape foliage has a silvery-green hue and the stems are long and straight. It’s definitely protea season, and there will be plenty more varieties for you to enjoy in the months to come.

I’m looking forward to some fun activities we’re currently planning for October… like a special Protea Fest on Saturday the 17th at the Old Town Temecula Farmers’ Market. Plus, many of you have been asking about a wreath making workshop. So, we’ve decided to head on over to the Fallbrook Pumpkin Patch and make that happen on Sunday, October 18th. We’ll be updating our website’s event page and sharing more about these activities as well as a few others on Facebook and Instagram soon.

I am thrilled to hear that CAGROWN has declared October as California Grown Farmer and Farmworker Month! Farmers and their employees have worked nonstop through the pandemic, as we’ve all been considered essential workers. Farms are implementing new safety measures and ensuring that food and flowers continue to flow throughout our country and beyond. I can’t think of a better month than October to celebrate the bounty of products grown here in California and all the farmers and farmworkers who harvest it!

Stay safe and enjoy the month of October!

Mel