Thryptomene

Thryptomene

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Thryptomene is a beautiful Australian native shrub that we grow here at Swallows Nest.  This variety is Grampians Thryptomene, found as the name suggests in the Grampians region in Victoria.  It is extensively picked in the wild there, for the cut flower trade.  We only have a small number of bushes here, but they are well established and very productive. 

In mid to late winter,  the tiny bright pink buds begin to burst into dainty little flowers that erupt between the leaves and cover the length of the branches.  They continue to flower for the next few months.  I think they have the look of snow laden branches at this time of the year.

One of the features of Thryptomene is it's beautiful aromatic smell.  Fresh, clean and foresty, it really lingers.  I love it!  

Thryptomene is long lasting as a cut flower.  It looks great as a filler in a bouquet and adds a fresh scent and a touch of authentic Australian winter.  Look out for it in florists during the cooler months!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day

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Mother's Day is a great time for flowers.  Usually, we sell our flowers wholesale in large quantities, but being an artist, I love the creative challenge of making retail bunches.  I'm not trained in floristry so they are not technically well constructed, but I love combining colour and texture and making the flowers look their best.  My local General Store sells bunches for me, and I love the challenge of creating bunches that say "buy me" to shoppers.  This week, I made some Mother's Day bunches.  Here are a few snaps!

 From the field to the bucket, and from the bucket to the bunch!

 Happy Mother's Day

Australian Proteas

Australian Proteas

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The Protea flower is South Africa's national flower, but many people don't know that most plants in the Protea family are actually Australian Natives. Banksias are from the Protea family and many of them flower is summer and autumn.

I am very excited that some of the first banksia flowers from our new batch of plants are coming into flower for the first time. These plants were put in the ground 2 years ago, and were so tiny when they went in, I couldn't imagine they'd even survive, let alone flower. But many of them are now coming into bud. And they are beautiful buds, too! A promise of a beautiful flower.

Summer Blooms

Summer Blooms

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Summer is the time when King Proteas are in bloom. These flowers really are the "kings" of the protea world, opening up to the size of dinner plates! For this reason, Protea Cynaroides (their botanical name) are the national flower of their native South Africa. They truly are stunning. At Swallows Nest Farm, we have been busy planting King Proteas this season in a stunning White. I am so excited about them! Unfortunately, I will have to contain my excitement as they will not be ready for harvesting for 3 years.  I will have to content myself with the few Mini Kings that we have! It will not be a chore - they are equally as beautiful, if alittle smaller. Still a fair size for a flower at the diameter of a bread and butter plate. They are a beautiful colour with soft purple on the centre crown, and cream and pink outer petals.  Then there are the soft creamy green centre stamens.

The whole flower is like a performance as it opens slowly over days and even weeks. I watch captivated as they open, changing shape unfolding themselves. Recently, I had one on my windowsill for a fortnight and took photos as it underwent its slow unfolding performance. These are some of the photos.

Welcome to The Swallows Nest

Welcome to The Swallows Nest

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Welcome to our blog. We live on the Tasman Peninsula in South-Eastern Tasmania. We grow Proteas and Australian Native flowers. We are passionate about our flowers and we want to share them with you. This blog is a way of documenting the different flowers we grow, and the different blooms available as the seasons change throughout the year. We hope you enjoy them, as much as we do!

January is warm in Tasmania, but we are blessed with the ability to produce flowers that many on the mainland are unable to grow at this time of year. At the moment, we have some beautiful late flowering Leucospermums in bloom. They are commonly known as pincushions or tiaras. They are a protea native to South Africa. The variety that is at its peak in January is called Fountain and is a beautiful pinkish orange with purplish dots on the ends of the unfurled fronds. The centre of the flower head is a beautiful glowing greenish white. They are lovely in a mixed bunch or en masse! These little beauties have only been in the ground for two years and this year is our first harvest. We look forward to having these as a regular part of our summer stock.