I used to spurn exotic works , even those with glorious flowers . Looking back , I think the shunning was probably yet another form of juvenile rebellion . After all , my grandmother was passionate about wench of nirvana , and my female parent probably bought thou of poinsettias in her time . It work sentiency , in a Freudian room , that I would issue into maturity with a taste for more low - key , accessible blooms .
The wintertime here are milder than the winter in my western New York State hometown , but they seem farseeing . Now I take my comfort where I can retrieve it , and sometimes I find it among the tropic plants at the local greenhouse , or even in the cut flush presentation at my supermarket . This is how I became introduce with protea .
If some horticultural magician crossed an globe artichoke with an unopened football mommy , the result would expect exactly like a protea . The specimens that caught my eye in the market were probably Protea x hybrida . No cultivar name was listed on the tag attach to the cut stems , but the protea I break up looked like ‘ Pink Ice ’ , a popular variety . Various protea species also come in shades of white-hot and moody or light pink .
Unlike some of the parvenus that take pride of place in fashionable florist ’ shop , protea get along from the ancient Proteaceae kinsperson . Their antecedent have been around at least 300 million year , making them more than eligible for comprehension in the Social Register or even Burke ’s Peerage . The bulk of Proteaceae hail from South Africa , though some are native to Australia as well . Nowadays they are grow commercially in the United States as well as other places around the world . Growers in both California and Hawaii supplying cut protea to retail outlets all over the area . There is even a California Protea Association with its own web site .
Protea have rather complex blossoms . The true flower is a tumid , moderately fuzzy , cone - forge structure . It is surrounded by colorful bracts that mime the effect of petal . take as a whole , the blossoms look as if they should unfold up bit by bit into a glorious , rounded flowerhead . They do n’t . Like some for good pent-up member of the sure-enough WASP ascendancy , they just refuse to open up , even if they are positioned well and give a sight to drink ..
Still , protea are colorful and striking in wintertime transcription . The true leaves are attractively stretch , and the prime bear atop improbable , almost bamboo - comparable stems . To get the most out of the pricy blossoms , clip off the ends before plunging the stalk into the pee , and remove any leaves that will be positioned below the H2O argument . supply ¼ teaspoon of chlorine bleach per dry quart of water in the vase , and place the arrangement out of unmediated sunlight . Change the urine every few day for maximum longevity .
Once protea flowers have passed their flush , they can be dry for use in everlasting arrangement . Pluck the stems out of the vase , plop them in a bucketful , stow them in an out - of - the - way place , and ignore them for a few weeks . They will dry out just okay on their own with no fuss . After Christmas , when the Buddy Holly is but a arid memory , and the Euphorbia pulcherrima are at the curb awaiting woof - up , get the protea out of concealment . They will have lost their bright colors , but retain their Junoesque magical spell .
Unless you have a nursery large enough to accommodate a salutary - size of it bush , or a vacation retirement in Hawaii , you in all probability wo n’t be growing protea at home . Before you lose sleep over this fact , conceive that even under the best of circumstances protea take at least three age to efflorescence when it ’s grown from seed . A lot can happen in three years and you’re able to buy and dry one C of cut stems in the same time period . Dried or not , that should be enough protea for anyone .
by E. Ginsburg
Yellow RoseSWORD LILIESCHANGE IN THE GARDENUNFORGETTABLEFRESH veggie
