J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following.

>> This episode of "Life in Bloom" revolves around honey and honeycomb in literal and figurative ways.

I'll explore honeycomb decorations, visit Two Bee's Protea Farm, arrange flowers in golden hues, and prepare a cocktail with a taste of honey.

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

Today's show is arranged around honey and honeycomb.

Honey was known to be the nectar of the gods by Greek philosopher Aristotle.

Of course, flowers provide the nectar for the honey as gathered by the bees.

A honeycomb such as this is a mass of hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their nests to contain their brood and stores of honey and pollen.

Honey bees use quite a bit of energy to create honeycomb wax.

About 8 ounces of honey is required to build just 1 ounce of wax.

Honey is typically harvested from the wax.

However, honeycomb wax is edible and perfectly safe to eat.

When you eat raw honeycomb wax, you can chew it almost like gum and spit it out a few moments later.

Honeycomb wax can be used to make candles, lotion, lip balm, soap, healing ointment, salve, deodorant, shoe polish, furniture polish, surfboard wax, sealing wax, grafting wax, mustache wax, and baking grease.

Honey and honeycomb provide endless inspirations, especially in regards to flowers.

Let's see where this inspiration leads.

The inspiration for this segment and episode, really, is my good friend MaDonna Schmitz, who introduced me to wonderful collectible honeycomb tissue-paper decorations.

These fun, interactive paper products are known as honeycomb for the distinctive construction reminiscent of the honeycomb created by bees.

And, of course, bees collect nectar and pollen, leading to the production of honey and the honeycomb.

Getting back to the matter at hand, my friend MaDonna has collected honeycomb paper decorations for many years.

I, too, became fascinated by them, as I was inspired to track down vintage items as birthday presents for my friend.

Let's take a look at some examples, especially those representing and inspired by flowers, of course.

Here's a great example of vintage honeycomb.

This is a St. Patrick's Day hat that has a little leprechaun-ish guy in the middle.

These types of decorations we saw all the time when I was a little kid.

They would be for Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Christmas, all kinds of fun things.

And it's unusual to find one like this from the '80s that still has all its pieces together.

We have these two vintage pieces over here that I found online, and they're created in Denmark.

I especially love the way that this one has two flowers at the top.

It almost looks like a succulent.

These are modern-day ones, along with our little honeybee.

He's a modern-day one, too.

And the best part about these is unfolding them and putting them together.

And now all of them come with paper clips.

We've got two paper clips.

We have a green one.

And we have a pink one -- color-coordinated to the different parts -- and then, afterwards, this folds flat so that we can store it away.

It was a great way to have decorations that you could fold flat and store in very little space, and then take them out, open them back up, and then put them together.

It used to be that these had a little metal clasp that you'd bend over, and after a period of time, that little metal clasp would usually break away, and then you'd have to go to a paper clip.

So I love the idea of having a green paper clip for down here, and a pink paper clip for up here in the pink bud.

And then, we've got a little tulip.

I thought it would be fun to create an arrangement and then include some honeycomb decorations in it.

Let me show you how it's done.

I love these laciniated dahlias.

They're called laciniated because the petals look as if they've been shredded at the ends.

And you'll never really see these dahlias shipped in anywhere.

They're something that you'd have to grow yourself and cut from the garden.

My friend Craig, who grows these for me, it's just wonderful to be able to include these in this arrangement, because I think that they almost have a tissue-paper look, and they're going to be really cool next to the honeycomb decorations.

As I'm putting this together, too, I'm going to bring in my honeycomb flowers as topping.

So I'm kind of building my arrangement to leave spaces where I'll be able to balance those in.

I think zinnias have a similar look, too, 'cause it almost looks like you unfolded them around, or that they would lay flat if you put them back together.

So it'll be another great accent to our honeycomb flowers.

Now we'll save just a couple zinnias and a couple of our bunny tails as topping to go in afterwards so it doesn't look like our honeycomb flowers were just set in last.

Gonna use a green stick with a pointed end and stick it up inside there so that it holds on to it so it's like a little flower.

Can also stick your stick into the arrangement and then bring in your flower afterwards, too, if that's helpful.

It's a wonderful way to create an arrangement and use the honeycomb flowers as an accent and have other honeycomb accents in the garden, too.

It's a great way to set the stage for a party.

What would a show about honeycomb be without bees?

What better way to bring in the beauty of flowers than with a visit to my flower friend Jamie Barton and her protea farm, Two Bee's Protea, on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.

Let's take a look at this local farm that specializes in pincushion protea and learn more about growing these incredible flowers.

How big is Two Bee's Protea?

>> We are about 5 acres.

We have about 3 acres in production.

>> Why are you growing protea here on Oahu?

>> So, we are the first commercial protea farm here on Oahu, and we're growing heat-tolerant varieties for the local market.

>> You are working with the University of Hawaii because you're working on these varieties, right?

Isn't that how it works?

>> Yes.

So, they have been breeding and selecting heat-tolerant varieties since the early 2000s.

>> Okay.

>> So, we are screening about 20 of those here at our farm to see if they're suitable for this environment.

>> How many plants?

>> Total, we have probably about 400.

>> Okay.

>> On the research side.

On our production side, we have like what would be another 100 or so.

>> [ Chuckling ] Why protea?

Why not grow carnations or, you know... What got you on to protea?

>> I'm just fascinated by them.

I mean, they look almost prehistoric.

>> It's true, it's true.

>> I always thought they were beautiful.

>> I mean, they are one of the oldest species that we have as a cut flower, so they are kind of prehistoric.

>> Correct.

>> That's exactly right.

I love it.

So, Jamie, when we've seen protea before, it's on a mountainside, in San Diego County, you know, Oceanside, Rainbow, those places in San Diego.

And, you know, people, they have to climb the hills.

We have not seen it in flat areas in nice little rows for harvest, so that's going to make everybody very jealous who has those other locations.

Why is this suitable?

>> So, this particular area is actually very well-suited for these plants.

One of the things that they really like is a hot, dry climate with a lot of wind.

This area gets a lot of wind.

Also, really well-draining soil.

So, we have a really interesting soil in this area.

It does have a high clay content, but because it has really strong chemical bonds, iron oxide bonds, it leads to really good drainage, and drainage is key for these plants.

So they love it at this site.

And we're not really on a super-steep hillside, but we do have a little bit of a slope, so that also helps with drainage.

>> Oh, getting your water away.

>> Yeah, it's a very good location for for this particular crop.

>> Why is the farm called Two Bee's?

>> [ Laughs ] That's a good question.

My nickname growing up was Jamie Bee, and my husband, I call him Bee.

>> Yes.

Okay.

Oh, that's wonderful.

>> So we were just like, "Two Bee's."

[ Chuckles ] >> Are bees important?

>> Oh, absolutely.

Oh, my goodness.

There's probably a bee in this.

[ Chuckles ] They're everywhere.

So they really, really love these flowers.

They're actually somewhat prolific pollen producers, which I didn't realize until I started kind of playing with them a little bit more.

And this one's kind of wet, so we might not be able to get it out and show you, but... >> It's on the end of this -- right?

-- when it pops open.

>> Yeah.

So this is called the pollen presenter.

It's on the tip of the style.

So it's actually covered in pollen.

And it's interesting.

I was reading about this.

So, the male part of the flower matures before the female part of the flower.

So they don't self pollinate, even though it would seem like it might.

They actually need to be cross-pollinated.

>> Okay.

>> "Pro-tee-ah," "pro-tay-ah"... >> Yeah.

>> ..."pro-dee-ah."

>> Yes.

Tomato, "to-mah-toe."

I've been told that the correct pronunciation is "pro-dee-ah."

>> Okay.

>> But I've always said "pro-tay-ah," and a lot of people in Hawaii say "pro-tay-ah," and I think it's because the Hawaiian pronunciation of the vowels, if you spell it out, like I is "ee," E is "ay," A is "ah."

So the way protea's spelled, you would say it "pro-tay-ah."

>> That's right.

And Proteus was the gentleman that it's named after because he would change his... >> Shapeshifter, yes.

>> Yeah, shapeshifter.

Exactly.

And I say "pro-tee-ah" sometimes.

So I've noticed that everybody says -- "pro tee-ah," "pro-tay-ah," "pro-dee-ah."

>> Mm-hmm.

>> You know what?

It's a beautiful flower.

We love it.

>> Yes.

>> Thank you so much for sharing this with us I appreciate it.

Again, it's such a pleasure.

It's one of the most beautiful farms I've ever been to.

You are -- you are fantastic.

It's just, it's a wonderful, wonderful way for us to get to know each other.

And I appreciate you welcoming us here and letting us see Two Bee's Protea.

>> I appreciate you guys coming out.

>> Thanks.

Let's learn a bit more about the pincushion protea that Jamie Barton grows at Two Bee's Protea Farm.

Pincushion protea are not actually protea, but rather Leucospermum, but the protea moniker sticks to this incredible flower.

So, Jamie, you cut these beautiful protea for me to use.

And I was fascinated -- you were sanitizing your clippers in between each cut that you did.

>> Yes.

So we're trying to prevent the spread of disease on the farm.

So because we're trialing so many different varieties, we have some varieties that are more susceptible to fungal pathogens than others, so they tend to be a host.

And so whenever we're harvesting, just part of the good field sanitation practices that we use is, we sanitize the clippers in between harvesting the flowers and also pruning the plants.

>> It's 90% isopropyl.

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

It's amazing.

I'm so impressed.

It was really kind of fun.

I was like, "Oh, I should do that."

It probably is just like a really good practice for anyone to probably do to keep your tools clean, right?

>> Yes.

>> So, we were talking about the different stages of the flowers.

Can you share that with us?

>> Yeah, sure.

So, we have these sort of arranged in immature to mature.

So, obviously, at this stage, you can see it's still very green, very soft.

At this stage, the pins sort of start to pop out a little bit.

>> Okay.

>> Typically, I harvest them when they're right around this stage, maybe when a few more of these are still tucked in, this first set of bract starts to open.

>> Okay.

>> Part of that is, if we plan to ship them, it's nice to have them nice and compact in the box.

>> Correct.

>> Also, it gives them time to open up over time, which is kind of fun.

It's interesting to see them in an arrangement sort of change throughout... >> Oh, interesting.

>> ...several days.

>> That's so interesting.

>> And then, this is what the flower looks like when it's completely open.

>> So it changes color a little bit.

>> It does.

It tends to darken a little bit.

It's really variety-dependent, but, overall, they sort of tend to have this more kind of vibrant color, I would say, when they're younger, even a little bit of like a under-ripe sort of green color.

>> Right.

>> And then they start to turn this more vibrant, bright orange.

And then when they're fully open they turn, like, sort of a darker orange.

And there's even a stage after this for each of these, where the pins start to turn, like, a really deep red and a really deep orange.

>> Well, thank you, Jamie.

This was so interesting.

>> You're welcome.

>> Honey has a wonderful depth of colors in golds and yellows.

The arrangements I'm making reflect the palette from beautiful flowers blooming in late summer.

I have wonderful vases here that echo the honeycomb pattern to enhance them.

We have three different vases and four different types of flowers.

We have sunflowers and zinnias and Rudbeckia.

And then we have Solidago.

I love Solidago at this time of year because it's a wonderful accent flower, and, of course, bees love it.

I'll put my Solidago in the vase.

I'm remembering to strip each stem so that we don't have any foliage that falls below the waterline.

We'll start with our sunflowers.

I have two bunches that I bought at the farmers market, and they're bundled in these wonderful tight bundles.

So I'm going to use that to my advantage.

We'll arrange one bunch of sunflowers around the outside of the vase, creating a collar.

Then we can stick our collection of the sunflowers, like a topiary, right down in the middle.

Then we've got our zinnias.

I love zinnias, and I'd get buckets of them every single week.

I love that we've got some cactus and regular varieties of zinnias that are in all sorts of honeycomb colors.

There's ambers and golds and yellows, and we'll arrange those in the different types altogether.

We're cutting them short and removing the foliage so that we can place them down into the vase.

Finally, this golden Rudbeckia.

I absolutely love this flower.

We're cutting individual stems and placing them, along with the Solidago, into the vase.

Now we've got a collection of vases that looks great.

We can break them up and place them around the house or use them as a centerpiece in the middle of a table.

It's a wonderful way to interpret the honeycomb theme.

So, it's time for "Flower Cocktail Hour," and we're going to make a drink today called the Honeycomb.

And it's a mixture of different items, and it also has flowers on top, and it's garnished with a piece of honeycomb.

We'll start with a shaker filled with ice.

We'll add a few drops of honey, of course.

And half of a fresh squeezed lemon.

We'll add some orange tequila.

Then we'll add Suze.

This is an aperitif that's bitter but has a wonderful yellow coloration.

We'll add some blood orange soda and a few drops of honey bitters.

[ Ice rattling ] We'll garnish with our honeycomb.

And our nasturtium blossoms.

Oh, it's wonderful.

It's got a bitter yet sweet flavor.

And the colors?

Incredible.

The Honeycomb.

Cheers.

And now it's time for my favorite part of the show, "Flowers from You," the viewers.

Today, I have a few arrangements from Charlotte Harelson, who watches the show on Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge.

Charlotte writes, "Love your show.

Throwing a barbecue for a large crowd of master gardeners in Louisiana and wanted some smaller table flower arrangements.

The morning of, I collected a few yellow blooming flowers and greenery, and two co-hostesses, Debbie and Sterling, put together the 10 arrangements for the 10 tables.

They were such a cheerful touch.

They used my Esperanza, Rudbeckia, clippings for my moringa, and spearmint for fragrance."

With our show theme being honeycomb, these honey-colored bouquets are perfect.

And Debbie and Sterling were busy, just like little honey bees working in creating a honey of beautiful decorations for your master gardeners get-together.

Thank you!

Please send me your pictures of flower arrangements inspired by "Life and Bloom."

We call them "Schwankes" after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to [email protected].

That's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com.

And watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

I hope you enjoyed our foray into honey and honeycomb.

Whether including the real thing in a recipe or creating a theme around honey for a bouquet, I think you'll find the result to be sweet.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

>> Sort of like the gold standard.

At least for us here on Oahu on our farm, this is the gold standard.

This is a released variety, which means other growers grow this.

It has a name.

It exists on other farms.

This variety is a numbered variety that has not been released yet.

>> Did you hear that?

A numbered variety that has not been released yet.

So I don't know the name of this yet.

You can't get it probably yet.

[ Laughs ] >> In the future, hopefully.

>> Oh, that's wonderful.

It's beautiful.

It's beautiful.

And was this the one that we used right down in front?

>> Yes, it is.

That's the same one.

>> Yeah, that's -- And it's a number right now.

>> Yes -- 563.

>> Okay.

I love that.

I love that.

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit ubloom.com to access all episodes of "Life in Bloom," plus exclusive flower videos, J's newsletter and blog, find recipes, flower tips, techniques, and much more.

Be sure to follow "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" on social media.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling.

At home.

At work.

Or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following.

Closed caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.