Resendiz Bros. flowers part of award-winning Rose Parade float

For the second year in a row, a Tournament of Roses Parade float which included silverleaf flowers from Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers in Rainbow earned an award from the parade’s judges.

The Resendiz Brothers nursery includes plants other than proteas, and petals from the leucadendron argenteum tree, also known as silverleaf or silvertree, were on the China Airlines float which won the International award for the most beautiful entry from outside the Continental United States.

The float was designed by Festival Artists Worldwide and titled “Taiwan’s Guardian - The Third Prince.” According to Chinese mythology, Nezha, the third prince, was successful in combating demons.

Petals from Resendiz Brothers silverleaf trees were placed on Nezha’s spear. “We wanted to highlight the spear to really make it stand out,” said Andrea Zepeda, a floral consultant for Festival Artists/Artistic Entertainment Services.

The silverleaf was actually a last-minute addition to the float. “I just thought that silverleaf would stand out better, and it did,” Zepeda said.

A three-judge panel assigns scores to the floats based on creative design, floral craftsmanship, artistic merit, floral and color presentation, dramatic impact, and thematic interpretation. The theme for the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade was “A Cut Above the Rest.”

Festival Artists used the Resendiz Brothers silverleaf for the 2009 Jack in the Box “Jack-O-Licious” float, which earned the Extraordinaire award for the most spectacular entry over 55-feet in length. Silverleaf petals were used for the float’s spinning disco ball while silverleaf stems were placed elsewhere on that float.

The China Airlines float utilized only petals from the silverleaf trees.

Festival Artists began working with Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers in 2008 during preparation for the 2009 floats. “We used to go up north and get it,” Zepeda said.

When those growers retired, Festival Artists found a suitable replacement from the Rainbow nursery. “Their product is really good. Their petals are nice and big,” Zepeda said of the leucadendron argenteum grown by Resendiz Brothers. “We would

definitely use them again if it calls for something with silverleaf.”

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