The Beautiful Protea Flower

Protea

 A flower that stands alone.

 A few months ago I was invited to visit Rainbow Proteas, a commercial Protea  grower here in beautiful southern California, by my Friend Dawn.

 

 I didn't know much about  the Protea flower and had only used them a few times. When I had used them all I did was add a few branches or greenery in a vase and that was all that needed to be done with a Protea. The flower is definitely a conversational piece.

 
 Dawn gave me an awesome tour of her family farm and talked about the history of the flowers they grow. I had a fantastic time enjoying the conversation and the gorgeous views of the valleys. 
                                                                                              

When I arrived at the farm, I was expecting to see large green houses but that was not how they grow them. They grow well in San Diego with the warm weather on hills sides it is amazing to see in person.

 

A bit of  History on the Protea, AKA sugarbushes. They were named after the Greek God  Proteus, who could change his form at will. The Proteaceae family is an old one about 300 million years old and are divided into two families. There are over 300 different known species. originally from Africa and Australia Proteas have been commercially grown in southern California since the early 1960s. 

You can order a protea bouquet online from www.rainbowprotea.com

A few Proteas in a vase will make your day:)

Roslyn

Vintage Christmas Ornaments

Happy Holidays! 

I was thinking of how to decorate our Christmas tree this year. I have access to everything a woman could want to use on a Christmas tree, but I still like the simple tree with mercury glass beads and ornaments from the five and dime stores that my Grandma Lillian used to decorate her tree with. My Grandma always had a perfectly sweet tree that was a treat for all the grandchildren to stare at and dream of Santa Clause coming soon. It was almost magical. All the grand children are adults now, but I'm sure they all remember the beautiful tree and the love she gave to all of us.

I found some information about the first ornaments and how they have evolved. I'll make it short. Adornment for Christmas trees started about1500s with candles, fruits and ornaments. The next century 1600 decorating the Christmas tree  with heavy ornaments was very chic in  Germany. They also used red and white flowers to decorate the trees. Soon after, wax ornaments were made and the Christmas ornament business was created! It seems that fruit and nuts were used a lot to symbolize the fact that spring would come after a long winter. But where did the glass bulbs come from? I read that a German glass blower created them for his own Christmas tree and everyone loved it, and by the end of the 1800's all of Germany was using the glass bulbs. They were soon brought to the USA., by F.W Woolworth in 1880 to be sold in his five and dime stores. Around the nineteen thirties a business man who was involved with the  import of German ornaments could see that his business could be affected by the war he decided to get together with F.W Woolworth and Corning company of NY to find a way to make the ornaments in the United States. Corning co. had a light bulb machine that soon was making Christmas bulbs for trees. By 1940, Corning was making about 300,000 ornaments a day that were lacquered by machines and hand painted. In the years to come, the ornaments were silvered on the inside and painted with a simple stripe in pastel colors. Corning was able to alter its machines and to get a better range of shape and sizes without using scarce war materials. The main provider of those ornaments was F.W Woolworth and his five and dime stores. Kres and Neisners where you could by these awesome ornaments for as little as a dime.

This year my choice of tree is the Norway Spruce. It is a beautiful tree.  If you like vintage style, you can adorn  it with  mercury or silvered glass ornaments and garland then top it off with a sparkling silver star. Add some tinsel  if I can find any, and  don't forget white twinkle lights.  A nice touch would be some small hand written notes of thanks for the things you and your family are thankful  for.

The love you give and traditions you create today will last for generations to come.

 Roslyn

Marigolds

            I fell in love with marigolds about 7 years ago when I was working  as an independent contractor  at a flower shop in  Rancho Santa Fe. The season was  fall and we were using  a few varieties of the under rated flower  in cornucopias. We were mixing the marigolds  with bright pink flowers, and a lot of foliage and it was awesome. Bright pink the perfect complement color for the season. The fragrance of the Marigolds are unforgettable to me and a one of a kind sent! Whenever I smell them  it brings me back to the Fall days in Rancho Santa Fe making grand arrangements for home decor and holiday parties.

I saw some Marigolds the other day and felt that feeling again of my Rancho Santa Fe days, and wanted to share some information about this unique smelling flower. In Mexico marigolds are used in one of their Holidays called. Dia de los Muertos( Day of the Dead). Marigolds have been named  the official flower of  this celebration .

              

Marigolds were discovered in Central America in the 16th century, and then soon traveled to Europ

e and other areas, but according to Hindu Mythology Marigolds existed in India during the period of400bc and 8bc.There has been references about the special qualities and medicinal use in some writings. They have also been used for South Asian medicine for blood purification. Marigold species are still being tested by scientists for their health benefits..

Marigolds are self-reliant plants that have a good variety to choose from. They come in many colors and shapes. The colors that they come in are orange, yellow, crimson, mahogany, bicolors and white. Marigolds are a low maintenance flower that needs plenty of sun and moderate watering. Marigolds  have a robust sent, so they repel insects, but on rainy days, they can be visited by slugs. They are usually in season May thru October.

Marigolds are a fantastic flower, so buy some today and enjoy.

Have a great October.

Roslyn

                      

        

                                                                                      

                                         

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