Welcome to 'PEP', our
“Protea Education Program”. Our
ultimate goal is to educate and inform about
Protea...flowers beyond the ordinary. Your questions,
comments and suggestions are always appreciated. It’s
because of your feedback that we decided to change to our
new newsletter format.
Remember to add this e-mail address to your address book to
ensure you receive our newsletter promptly. If you have trouble
viewing this email, please click here:
http://www.DiscoverProtea.com/01_Jan-Feb_Newsletter.htm
Please enjoy and have a great February.
2nd - Groundhog Day
14th - Valentines Day
20th - Presidents Day
February Birthstone
Amethyst (purple)
February Flower of the Month
Carnation
how does your garden grow?
In his book Plant and Planet, Anthony Huxley has referred to
chlorophyll as the “great invention of the plant kingdom”.
It is a substance found only in plants, where it plays an
essential part in energy production. Unlike all other
living things, plants do not simply consume material and
extract energy from it. They are incapable of doing so.
Instead, plants have evolved an entirely different method
for assuring themselves of the “food” on which their growth
is based. They manufacture it, they make their own. The
process by which a plant produces their own food is called
photosynthesis, and chlorophyll is the central element in
this process.
Chlorophyll absorbs rays of sunlight, and uses them in
combination with water and carbon dioxide from the
environment to generate glucose, the substance that fuels
the growth of the plant. Carbon dioxide is an essential
ingredient in the production of glucose. Oxygen is given
off by a plant as a by-product of this process. Now, that
is why rain forests are so important!
Protea are no different, they need sunlight, water and
carbon dioxide to generate glucose and oxygen.
Plants are a terrific evolutionary success story, less
dependent on the world around them than most other living
creatures. Proteas are an excellent example of this
resilience to survive. These prehistoric plants have
changed very little over the past thousands of years.
Flowering plants first appeared on earth about 125 million
years ago. Fossil remains show that primitive
representations of the Proteaceae were here very soon after
this time.
pincushions. The very distinctive, or even peculiar look of
these showy flowers, have made them popular with floral
designers and gardeners alike. The Maui Agricultural
Research Center (MARC) in Hawaii has done remarkable
research in the field of hybridizing pincushions. They
boast more than 150 new generation pincushion hybrids. On
the mainland, pincushions bloom from February through June.
Our #1 Select Designer Grade Protea bouquets will start
featuring pincushions this month until they remain in
season. Our Protea ‘California Spring Bouquets’ are now
available a http://www.DiscoverProtea.com
propagation program. Visit us online at
http://www.capeflowerfields.com for your Protea Starter Seed Packs.
We are also pleased to announce that our Protea Seed
Packets are now available at the San Diego Zoo and the Wild
Animal Park in Escondido, California.
Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments
or suggestions at eugenebrill@gmail.com
Get those hands dirty!
people that are smarter that you are".
and I will post your question with an answer in the next issue of Proteaceae 101.
up-to-date answers to your questions.
specializing in ornamental trees and shrubs for Californian gardens.
Their nursery grows many plants from the Australian protea family,
such as banksia, grevillea, hakea and isopogon as well as small
eucalypts, acacias and leptospermums. They also grow South African
leucadendrons, leucospermums and proteas. Jo travels to Australia
each year in search of new species to introduce into Californian
gardens. They have seed and plants available for mail order. The
nursery is operated by owner Jo O'Connell, an Australian
horticulturist from Sydney. Contact Jo at 1-800-701-6517 or email:
ausnat@west.net
taking earth and life science courses, Ben became involved with the
development of the Palomar College Arboretum. Through this work, he
discovered his passion in landscaping and horticulture, with special
emphasis on the Proteaceae family of plants. Ben, owner of California
Protea Management, http://www.californiaproteamgmt.com has traveled
and studied these native flowers of South Africa and Australia for
years, making him the foremost expert in the field. California Protea
Management offers services that include consulting, marketing and
field development within the Protea industry for commercial growers.
Contact Ben Gill at bggill@hotmail.com
