Sun Valley is growing the versatile and oft-used botanical,
Hypericum. Before my humble beginnings here on the farm, I had never heard of this plant, much less seen it out and about. But now that I've grown wise to the ways of the flower, I see the unique berries of this plant EVERYWHERE.
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| "Midnight Glow" hypericum growing in the field |
This ornamental superstar features colorful berries on a compact shrub. The plant itself is a perennial botanical, sprouting golden blooms in the spring, which fall off to reveal elliptical berries come late summer. We plant hypericum outdoors in fields of dark, rich soil, and let the long, warm days of summer coax it to maturity. In Arcata, it is very much a seasonal crop--we harvest the stems at the end of summer and fall, pruning while we pick, allowing the plant to rest and re-gather nutrients for the following season.
However, at our Oxnard location, we harvest hypericum throughout the year. The Southern California climate, with its consistently longer and warmer days, creates the ideal growing conditions for year-round hypericum cultivation.
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| Butter-yellow hypericum flowers and their resulting berries |
The "classic hypericum" look has always been a leafy branch with dark-hued berries. Now, after years of breeding, it's available in many other colors ranging from pale green to dark red. We currently offer several of these colors, such as deep crimson
Midnight Glow, mahogany-hued
Universe, luminous
Pumpkin, bright
Lemon, and the magical red
Triumph.
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| Some of our hypericum varieties, clockwise from upper left: Lemon, Triumph, Midnight Glow, and Pumpkin |
Hypericum berries are long-lasting, retaining their color for weeks, which make them ideal additions to a wide range of floral arrangements. And, as you can see in the photos, the plant has multiple berries per stem, which makes it a great accent botanical as well as a bright focal piece in your autumn decorating palette. The smooth and shiny berries provide an interesting and modern textural contrast, which has shown to be highly desirable.
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| Here, hypericum berries are mixed with sunflowers to create an iconic fall bouquet. |
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| And here, another beautiful use of hypericum mixed with "flame" Calla Lilies |
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More and more designers are finding that it adds a festive and lively feeling for any occasion and plenty of opportunities for creative exploration. Take a look at the beautiful and innovative ideas our friends with
Flowersand have cooked up below:
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Above, peach-colored hypericum berries are strung together to create a whimsical and elegant addition to bridal bouquets and a centerpiece. Below, red hypericum berries are kept bunched and added to warm floral hues (images found in the September 2015 issue of Flowersand). |
The majority of hypericum is grown abroad in South America and Africa, leaving us as one of the few producers on United States soil. With its growing popularity, we are proud to be one of the largest providers of
American-Grown Hypericum, (especially since it's looking so gorgeous)!
