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