In the spotlights
We are currently still in the middle of the bridal season. Two varieties that are extremely suitable for this romantic season, are the Blushing Bride and the Pink Blushing Bride, as they are popularly called. A good reason for the FloraPodium to highlight both and tell something about these special products.
Let us first 'put the record straight'. In the trade, the Blushing Bride belongs to the Protea family. But in reality that’s not exactly true. The botanical names are Serruria Florida (Blushing Bride) and Serruria Sugar 'n Spice (Pink Blushing Bride). Both named after the Dutch botanist J. Serrurier of the University of Utrecht from the early 18th century.
In the wild they occur in South Africa in the Franschhoek valley and are also called the Pride of Franschoek.
These beautiful varieties are available from June till September and are commercially grown mainly in South Africa.
Cultivation is quite challenging due to the specific growing conditions that this product requires. The weather conditions in Western Cape in Cape Town are very favourable. Here are warm dry summers and moderate to cold winters with a lot of rain. Both the Florida and the Sugar 'n Spice are species that grow in the wild, which are not bred. At the nursery they are propagated by cuttings.
Both the 'regular' Blushing Bride and the Pink variety are highly valued products on the market. It is a strong flower, extremely suitable in beautiful arrangements, but is mainly used in the 'bridal world'.
Care
Proteas and Serrurias are both flowers which require extra resources for opening and extending vase life. For the best results, re-cut the flower when received and add flower food with high sugar content. This will extend the flower’s vase life even more.
Although Proteas are among the exotic varieties, it is important that they are kept cool before they reach the consumer. Putting in cold storage is no problem, it actually improves the vase life!
The cultivation
FynBloem (Pty) Ltd started 2009 as a partnership between Beyers Beyers (Bloemenkraal Estate, South Africa) and Laurits Møller Larsen (Denmark). Bloemenkraal, family-owned for over six generations, is a farming operation located at the base of the Riviersonderend Mountains in the Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa. The partners embarked with ambitious plans to build a successful Protea growing and production facility. The idea was to be the first pack-house to grow, design, pack and export Proteas from one location for 52-weeks of the year. In 2011 an important element of the FynBloem partnership and plan became a reality in the form of the erecting of a state-of-the-art processing pack house facility adjacent to the plantations. The design and functional aspects of this pack-house was the culmination of intensive research and development, with Protea flowers as the foundation for the needs of the building. Engineers and designers had to think ‘out of the box’ to come up with innovative solutions that not only suited the local conditions, but that were innovative and cost effective.
The result, hosting 23 different Protea cultivars and many other Leucadendrons, FynBloem has exceeded expectations and successfully exports these products to the overseas market in bouquet and single stems whole year round.
Origin
Protea is the collective name for the large family of Proteaceae, where 330 species are found endemically in South Africa, mainly concentrated in the Cape Floristic region. On the flower market it is mainly seen as an exotic flower and breeding was introduced in the late 1960’s by botanists in their gardens. Consumer demand and popularity turned this garden hobby into a commercial endeavour and today there are many different cultivars, different colours, sizes and flowering at different times of the year.
Proteas are still considered a niche product for the overseas market, because of the exotic nature in size and look of the flower, compared to the standard flowers found on the market. Grown outdoors in a plantation, Protea cultivars have a naturally long vase life and fascinating features, making it very interesting addition with a modern feel for any florist.
FloraPodium, 20 June 2018
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