WEDDING FLOWERS
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In Full Bloom


Spring is coming to an end, and the Tasmanian Waratahs are in full bloom.  The smell of summer is in the air!  Many of the spring flowering leucadendrons are starting to loose their colour now and the summer flowering proteas are getting ready to make their appearance.  Watch out in the next week or so for the bright and beautiful Leucaspermums, commonly known as pincushions, that are popular coming into Christmas.  


I'll be posting about the amazing varieties of pincushions that we have here at Swallows Nest Farm as they begin to flower.  In the meantime, enjoy the last of spring and its spectacular colour!




Praia Do Forte, A Hard To Resist Brazilian Beach Paradise

Praia Do Forte, A Hard To Resist Brazilian Beach Paradise

http://jrangelella.blogspot.com/Praia do Forte was a lazy coastal fishing village in Bahia which has been transformed into a must see tourist destination for anybody visiting Brazil.
Imagine an unpolluted coastline with palm trees, little quiet pools of water that form at low tide just inviting you to come and take a swim, a dream come true for fishing and water sports lovers, a treat for nature lovers, when it comes to Praia do Forte words are simply not enough to describe the place.

Praia do Forte, Just Over An Hour's Ride From The Airport
Praia do Forte is just 30 miles from Salvador international airport. An hour to an hour and a half bus ride will take you to this tourist haven. If you prefer, you also have the option of renting a car. Within the town you will be able to get to most places on foot. It is worth the walk, the streets are dotted with shops and restaurants.

Tropical Climate, Comfortable Weather All Year Round
At Praia do Forte, No One Gets BoredThe climate of Praia do Forte is tropical where the temperatures remain in a comfortable range between 22?C to 30?C. An almost constant breeze coming in from the sea will keep you comfortable outdoors. Being tropical, the place gets good rainfall. Rainy season starts in April, gathers momentum by May, and is on its way out by September. You can expect heavy rainfall in May, June and July.

Unlike other holiday spots where you may get bored after a few days, Praia do Forte will motivate you to be on your feet throughout the duration of your stay. A few places that you should not miss:

1. Projeto Tamar: A turtle sanctuary and conservation project where you will be thrilled to see different species of sea turtles and fishes in pools. It gives you an opportunity to observe these fascinating creatures from close range. Four out of the seven species of sea turtles that exist lay their eggs on the beaches at and around Praia do Forte.

2. Humpback Whale Institute: You will learn a lot about these whales at this place which is setup mainly for studying and conserving these mammals.

3. Sapiranga Ecological Reserve: Eco-tourism at its best, the reserve is a treasure trove of a great variety of plants and flowers spread over 600 acres.

4. Garcia D' Avilla castle: A historical and cultural heritage monument, ruins of a former military building with Portuguese architecture. In the same complex Chapel of St. Peter of Rates is also a place to visit.

5. Fisherman's village: A little path lined with trees full of birds and dotted with restaurants, bars and decorated stores will enchant visitors with its simple charm.

6. Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi: A chapel that was built in 1900 by fishermen, a very popular place for wedding ceremonies for people from all over Brazil.
Great Activities To Look Forward To At Praia do Forte

1. Beach activities: The most visited beaches are 'Lord' and 'Papa-Gente' where the attraction is the natural pools that form at low tide. These pools are filled with fish and will encourage you to take a swim or snorkel.Whether you are the adventure minded or are just looking forward to swimming, fishing and shopping, Praia do Forte will not disappoint you. Here are some of the activities that you can look forward to:

2. Surfing: The beaches are perfect places for surfing over the coral reefs.
3. Quad bike ride: Go on an adventure on quad bikes through the Sapiranga Ecological Reserve.
4. Horse riding: Another way to get to Sapiranga.
5. Cycling: Yet another way to enjoy the beauty of the Sapiranga reserve is to hit one of the bike trails.
6. Parasailing: If you are the adventure minded, you can take the 10 minute parasail flight and enjoy the view from 60 meters above the ground.
7. Shopping: The fishermen's village is the place for shopping. You will find hard to resist stores stocked with everything from handicrafts to beachwear and jewelry.
8. Nightlife: You will find the perfect bars with music, cocktails and snacks. If you prefer something simple, you could just take a stroll in the moonlight.
Perfect Accommodation For Everyone

Food, A Gastronomic Delight Awaits You
Praia do Forte has all types of accommodation which will suit people with all kinds of budgets. From R$40 for a dormitory to expensive resort hotels charging around US$380 for a double room, everyone will find a place that fits their budget and comfort level.
There are plenty of restaurants at Praia do Forte that offer different cuisines and cater to all kinds of tastes, irrespective of which part of the world you are from. However, if you are like most people, you will not want to miss out on the local food. There are plenty of pubs and snack bars where you can grab a quick drink and bite between sightseeing and adventure.

A trip to Praia do Forte will open up a world of relaxation and adventure for you. Once you come here, it will be hard for you to leave. Plan your trip so that you have at least 5 days here. Anything less than that will seem like a rushed visit or you will have to leave out places you will regret missing. Once you come here, the chances are that you will be back again, so if you miss something you can always make it up on the next visit.
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What's in the Basket?



We've been at Swallows Nest Farm for 4 years, and not long after we arrived, I found a basket at a local op shop which said "BUY ME"!  It has become my constant companion on the farm.  I use it for everything from planting to pruning to picking and even delivering bunches.  When we are picking large wholesale quantities collecting into a trailer attached to a small tractor, I always have my trusty basket to take the flowers to the tractor.  

Boronia Heterophylla, Leucadendron Lemon Spice, Grampians Thryptomene, Berzelia Button Bush


Every now and again, I look down at the basket and admire its contents.  Then, I'll whip out the iphone and snap off a photo. 

Isopogon Formosa Pink Cone Flower, Red Gem Leucadendron, Berzelia Button Bush

I have quite a collection of these basket photos now, and have decided to start a regular (or irregular!) post on the blog called "What's in the Basket?"  This will be the first of many so you get a kind of overview - a Year in a Basket!

Leucadendrons Maui Sunset, Safari Sunset, Inca Gold, Tall Red, Safari Gold Strike and Protea Neriifolia 

The basket is quite large but sometimes it gets overloaded - the flowers in the photo above make it look so small!

Grampians Thryptomene, Richea Dracophylla, Berzelia Button Bush, Telopea Speciosissima Waratah

Retail bunches ready for delivery to a local shop.

I'm looking forward to sharing what's in my basket. I hope you enjoy taking a peek!

Giving Flowers



In the last two weeks I have picked flowers for so many occasions.  It has caused my mind to wander about the gift of flowers.  I can think of no other gift that is appropriate for congratulations, and commiserations, to celebrate and to encourage.  We use them in weddings and funerals.  They are given to celebrate birth and to sympathise in death.  Flowers say "I love you", "I'm sorry" and "Thankyou".  They say "Welcome Home" and "Goodbye".  I find it quite amazing!


A friend recently passed on a book called "The Language of Flowers"  by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  It was a great read!  It is based on the Victorian idea of expressing thoughts and feelings through the gift of flowers.  The Victorians had a very sophisticated flower language.  I want to do some more exploring in this area now - I've been inspired!  At the back of the book was a paraphrased list of flowers and the meanings assigned to them through this floral language.  Of course, I was keen to look up Protea, and was really surprised by its meaning.


Proteas mean courage.



I rather like their meaning!

I'm Having a GIVEAWAY!



Welcome to my first giveaway!  We are celebrating spring, and new beginnings.  We've changed our name officially to Swallows Nest Farm and we want the world to know!  And who doesn't love a giveaway?! For those of you who don't know, as well as running Swallows Nest Farm, I am also a practicing artist as well as having an online shop called trees4thewood where I sell small artworks and handmade cards, all inspired by the flowers and birds here on the farm.  Yes, life is full, but I love it.  

And I love it when everything comes together too!  In the shop, this years Christmas cards are based on the beautiful Tasmanian Waratah that I featured in the previous post,  and seeing as we've officially changed our name (we were previously trading as Parson's Bay Proteas - boring huh?!) we thought we'd celebrate with a giveaway.

So what's the prize, you ask?  You get

Set of 6 professionally printed postcards of flowers from Swallows Nest Farm
Pack of 5 handmade Tasmanian Waratah Christmas Cards from trees4thewood
Pack of 3 Welcome Swallow Fancy Edged Note Cards from trees4thewood
A hand painted Tasmanian Waratah bookmark from trees4thewood

Thats a prize worth $50+!!!  

What do I have to do to win this fabulous package, I hear you ask?!?

Thats simple!  I'm using Rafflecopter to run the giveaway.  There are three ways you can enter - and if you do all three, you get three entries! Entries are open for three weeks. Follow the prompts below and good luck! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tasmanian Waratahs


This week, I picked my first Tasmanian Waratahs for the season.  I have one bush that flowers in late October - just a bit earlier than the rest.  Almost over night, it seemed to be covered in bright red blooms.

Most people associate the Waratah with New South Wales, probably because its is that states floral emblem, but Victoria and Tasmania are also home to some wonderful species of waratah.  At Swallows Nest Farm, we are lucky to be growing the waratah endemic to Tasmania called Telopea Truncata. It is a smaller flowered plant to its mainland cousins, but size isn't everything!  The Tassie waratah is about the size of a carnation and looks a bit like a cross between a "normal" waratah and a grevillea.  It has lovely bent styles the give it a charming sculptural quality.


The Tasmanian Waratah grows as a large shrub to 3 m, but can that can get to over 8 metres tall.  In the wild, it grows in wet forest areas and flowers in November and December.  It is often picked in the wild for the flower trade. The flowers are striking red making the bush really stand out when its in bloom.  Very rarely, the flowers are actually yellow.  The yellow form has been used to make hybrid waratahs which are available to purchase as garden plants called "Shady Lady Yellow".  It is the only waratah to have a yellow variation.  

I love it that these cheery Tasmanians are ready to pick in the lead-up to Christmas.  As a flower grower, its the plants that help to mark the seasons and this one is such a lovely Christmassy flower.  It brightens up a bouquet and compliments the other flowers that are available in the Christmas season. 



The Tasmanian Waratah is best propagated by seed.  After the plant has flowered it produces some fantanstic seed pods.  I'm a bit of a collector of seed pods and waratah seed pods are definitely worth collecting!


Look out for Tasmanian Waratahs in your florist or in the wild during November and December.  They are a real treat and a great reminder that Christmas is fast approaching!

If you'd like to have a go at growing your own Tasmanian Waratah, you can buy fresh seed collected from Swallows Nest Farm here.

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