July Birth Month Flower is Larkspur

Botanical Name :	Consolida spp.
Common Name :	Larkspur
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	con-SOL-i-da
Family Roots :	Member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup family). Native to the Mediterranean region. Related species include buttercup, clematis, anemone, monkshood, peony.
Personality :	Flowers are 1/2 inch wide, cup-shaped with a spur at the back and many occur in a long terminal spike. Stems leafy, 24-36 inches long. Plant is an annual, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flowers are not fragrant.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	Blue, lilac, pink, white.
Decorative Life :	4-12 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	High
Ethylene Comments :	Flower shattering easily results from ethylene exposure. It is therefore important to treat with an anti-ethylene product.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	For maximum bud opening, remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Plant parts are poisonous so handle with care.
Storage Specifics :	36-38F (three days or less), 32-34F (more than three days), dry storage not recommended.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Harvest when 2-5 flowers are open.
Tidbits :	Consolida is from the Latin "to make whole" referring to possible medicinal properties. As a garden plant it is often plagued with insect and disease problems. The species often used for cut flowers are C. ambigua which is branched and in colors of light pink or blue and C. orientalis which is more upright and in bright pink and purple. Morphologically, it is different from a delphinium in that its two upper petals are united into one and is lacking the two lower petals. Regardless of this distinction, most cannot tell the difference between these two genera. Suitable for drying, hang upside down in ventilated area at 70-80 F for 2-4 weeks. When purchasing, try to avoid hollow-stemmed ones and those infested with mildew (leaves look gray). Harvest when 2-4 flowers are open. With hundreds of dainty flowers clustered on a single stem that swoops dramatically upward as if reaching for the sky, the Larkspur makes a stunning addition to any arrangement. Larkspur is the Birth Month Flower for July: http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html See More Hoogasian Flowers A to Z at: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html

Hoogasian Flowers at NCCA

Hoogasian Flowers participated at the Northern California Concierge Association Vendor Event at the Hilton San Francisco on March 26th. Harold Hoogasian and Nikki Hoogasian (pictured) were in attendance and met with concierges from dozens of hospitality venues from all over Northern California. The "swag" of the day was Sterling Silver Roses and gardenias. We "made the day" of several attendees by spreading the joy of the fragrance of Sterling Silver Roses (grown in Petaluma) and gardenias. It was a fun afternoon meeting new friends and catching up with business associates from as long as 35 years ago!

The poster we used outlined the "Top Ten Reasons" to choose Hoogasian Flowers as Primary Florist for Your Hospitality Venue:

10. Hoogasian Flowers is a 35+ year member of the San Francisco Travel Association (formerly SFCVB) and we know how important the servicing of our visitor needs is to ALL the businesses in San Francisco.

9. We’re Open Every Day of The Year (just like your hotel)!

8. Real, live San Francicans answer our phones, take orders 24 hours a day! If your guest needs flowers delivered tomorrow in the Bay Area or on the East Coast
or anywhere in between, we’ll take it off your plate, 24/7/365!

7. You can order in person, by phone, online, fax, e-mail, Smart phone app or
through our mobile site... that’s 7 ways.

6. We offer delivery 24 hours a day! (after hours charges may apply)

5.  We have the experience to handle any customer request, we’ve done:
1000’s of weddings, 100’s of rock concerts and one Papal Visit (1987)!

4. We operate the largest flower shop in San Francisco (10,000ft2)!

3. Members of the Hoogasian Family have been involved in retail floristry
in San Francisco for over 80 years. Some imply tradition or longevity...
Our slogan is : “Serving San Francisco for 4 generations...”  and it’s true!

2. Easy to remember phone number: 1(800) BAY-AREA!

and the #1 Reason to Choose Hoogasian Flowers as your primary florist:

1. 100%, no questions asked satisfaction guarantee...
well, no, actually the REAL number one reason is that Hoogasian Flowers is family owned by a family that lives in San Francisco... Our Name is on every order and
our reputation’s on the line every day, so we will get it right for you, every time!

March Birth Month Flower is Daffodil

March Birth Month Flower is Daffodil

Daffodil

The birth flower for March is daffodil. In the language of flowers, daffodils symbolize chivalry, respect, modesty and faithfulness.
Daffodils form a group of large-flowered members of the genus Narcissus. Most daffodils look yellow, but yellow-and-white, yellow-and-orange, white-and-orange, pink, and lime-green cultivars also exist. Daffodils grow perennially from bulbs. In temperate climates they flower among the earliest blooms in spring: to this extent daffodils both represent and herald spring. They often grow in large clusters, covering lawns and even entire hillsides with yellow.
Daffodils belong to the genus Narcissus. Daffodil is the common English name for them all, and Narcissus is the Latin, botanical name for them all. Some people refer to daffodils as "jonquils", from the Spanish name for the flower.
The name of the flower is derived from an earlier "affodell", a variant of asphodel. The reason for the introduction of the initial "d" is not known, though from at least the sixteenth century "Daffadown Dilly" or "daffadowndilly" has appeared as a playful synonym of the name. What a fancy March birth flower.

Aster is September Birth Month Flower

Aster novi-belgii

Botanical Name :	Aster novi-belgii
Common Name :	Michaelmas Daisy, New York Daisy, Aster
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	A-ster NO-vee BEL-gee-ee
Family Roots :	Member of the Asteraceae or Compositae (aster or sunflower) family. Native to the Eastern US. Related species include sunflower, daisy, gerbera and chrysanthemum.
Personality :	Flowers are daisy-like heads to 1 inch across with colored ray florets and yellow centers. Stems leafy, branched, 2-3 feet long. Plant is a herbaceous perennial, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. flowers not fragrant.
Availability :	Nearly year-round.
Flower Color :	White, pink, lavender, red and blue.
Decorative Life :	5-10 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Low
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place in plain tap water containing regular household bleach (about 20 drops [1/4 teaspoon] per quart). Stiff hairs on leaves can be irritating to skin.
Storage Specifics :	32-38 degrees F. However, because of the many cultivars and even species, making broad storage temperature recommendations is difficult. For example, Aster bigelovii, more accurately known as Machaeranthera bigelovii, has an optimum storage temperature of 45 degrees F.
Tidbits :	Flower aficionados recommend constant "pinching back" of the leaves and petals to best preserve the flowers' form. Latin for "star," after its star-like flower shape, the aster was originally recognized for its healing properties. It was said that, when beaten with old hogs grease, and applied, that aster was good for "the biting of a mad dogge". The Compositae or aster family is vast, with over 20,000 species, and is also one of the most developed families. It was named Compositae because the flowers are actually a "composite" of many individual flowers into one head. Hence, when children pull one "petal" off at a time, saying "she/he loves me, loves me not", they are actually removing a complete flower, not just a petal.

July Birth Month Flower is Larkspur

Larkspur

Botanical Name :	Consolida spp.
Common Name :	Larkspur
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	con-SOL-i-da
Family Roots :	Member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup family). Native to the Mediterranean region. Related species include buttercup, clematis, anemone, monkshood, peony.
Personality :	Flowers are 1/2 inch wide, cup-shaped with a spur at the back and many occur in a long terminal spike. Stems leafy, 24-36 inches long. Plant is an annual, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flowers are not fragrant.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	Blue, lilac, pink, white.
Decorative Life :	4-12 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	High
Ethylene Comments :	Flower shattering easily results from ethylene exposure. It is therefore important to treat with an anti-ethylene product.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	For maximum bud opening, remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Plant parts are poisonous so handle with care.
Storage Specifics :	36-38F (three days or less), 32-34F (more than three days), dry storage not recommended.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Harvest when 2-5 flowers are open.
Tidbits :	Consolida is from the Latin "to make whole" referring to possible medicinal properties. As a garden plant it is often plagued with insect and disease problems. The species often used for cut flowers are C. ambigua which is branched and in colors of light pink or blue and C. orientalis which is more upright and in bright pink and purple. Morphologically, it is different from a delphinium in that its two upper petals are united into one and is lacking the two lower petals. Regardless of this distinction, most cannot tell the difference between these two genera. Suitable for drying, hang upside down in ventilated area at 70-80 F for 2-4 weeks. When purchasing, try to avoid hollow-stemmed ones and those infested with mildew (leaves look gray). Harvest when 2-4 flowers are open. With hundreds of dainty flowers clustered on a single stem that swoops dramatically upward as if reaching for the sky, the Larkspur makes a stunning addition to any arrangement. Larkspur is the Birth Month Flower for July: http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html See More Hoogasian Flowers A to Z at: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html

Carnation is January Birth Month Flower

Carnation is January Birth Month Flower

Carnation

Botanical Name :	Dianthus caryophyllus
Common Name :	Carnation, Standard Carnation
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	dy-AN-thus ka-ree-AHF-i-lus
Family Roots :	Member of the Caryophyllaceae (pink family). Native from Southern Europe to India. Common relatives include baby's breath, lychnis, silene and sweet William.
Personality :	Flowers are up to 3 inches in diameter. Most flowers are double forms with many ruffled petals. Plant is a herbaceous perennial, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Some flowers are fragrant, clove-like.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	Most but not blue and may bicolors.
Decorative Life :	Can last from 7-21 plus days depending on cultivar, harvest stage, flower food and/or anti-ethylene treatments. In addition, genetically engineered cultivars like 'Eilat' reportedly can last 24-26 days in water with no flower food or other chemical treatments.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	High
Ethylene Comments :	Ethylene accelerates petal wilting (sleepiness). Should be treated with an anti-ethylene product. Flowers exposed to short term water stress conditions become more sensitive to ethylene.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. This species almost always responds well to under water cutting. Water stress symptoms are often hidden even though the flowers are being damaged. Specifically, water stress conditions can stimulate an earlier production of ethylene production enzymes that can become even more active after rehydration. Therefore, ethylene action inhibitors (but not synthesis inhibitors) can reduced the ethylene mediated negative effects associated with water stress. While MCP treatment can be very effective in preventing ethylene damage, petals recover about 50% of their ethylene sensitivity in 4 days whereas STS treatments have longer effectiveness. In another study, no differences were found between STS and MCP treatments. Cycloheximide is an antibiotic that works by inhibiting protein synthesis. It also happens to extend the life of carnations. Unfortunately, cycloheximide is not available for use in the floral industry and is only mentioned here in hopes that it will stimulate someone into finding a similar protein synthesis inhibitor that could be used by growers and/or florists.
Storage Specifics :	Bud-harvested flowers can be stored for up to 4 months at 31-33 F. Normal storage is best at 32-34 degrees F. When 'Imperial White' was held wet or dry between 32 and 50F, no difference in vaselife was noted between wet and dry at a given temperature. However, there was an advantage for wet holding when held at 55F. Therefore, dry storage/transport is recommended unless high temperatures (>40F) are possible. Pulsing freshly harvested bud cut flowers for 20 hours at 40F with either 10-20 ppm gibberellic acid (GA3) or a mixture of 5-10 ppm benzyladenine + 20 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid resulted in flowers that opened faster and laster longer after 5 weeks of dry storage at 32-34F. Some cultivars were damaged when stored at 32-33F for 3 weeks suggesting that some cultivars might be chill sensitive. Flowers should be treated with STS, MCP, AOA, or AVG propr to storage.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Calyx splitting is an occasional problem, which is sometimes reduced by wrapping flowers in the bud stage with tape. Preharvest factors like greenhouse covering (glass is better), plant age (older is better), cultivar and time of year (fall is best) all can have significant effects on postharvest flower life. The higher the dry weight of a flower stem at the time of harvest, the longer the flower will last.
Tidbits :	Ingestion may cause minor illness. Frequent handling may cause dermatitis. The name carnation is from the Latin "carnis" meaning flesh, alluding to the pale pink color of the flower. In Greek "dianthus" means the flower of Jove. Carnations are said to have sprung up from the tears of Mary as she made her way to Calvary. The pink carnation became the symbol of mother-love and of Mother's Day, created in 1907 in Philadelphia. The scientific name is from the Greek "dios" (divine) and "anthos" (flower). Carnations are graded according to stem length and flower number for spray types. While they seemingly never wilt, they do suffer from water stress with a resulting increase in ethylene sensitivity and/or production and the damage induced by this gas. Carnation is the Birth Month Flower for January See More Birth Month Flowers: http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today we had a pleasant visit with Linda and Ray Picard and Linda's Mom, Charlotte Hoogasian who was visiting from Massachusetts. Although we aren't sure if we are related, we figure that we're all family! They came all the way from Santa Cruz, California just to meet us and see Hoogasian Flowers! Good thing we keep our promise to be Open Every Day of The Year!  Nikki and I were thrilled to share parts of our family history with them.

Paperwhite Narcissus is December Birth Month Flower

Paperwhite Narcissus

Botanical Name :	Narcissus papyraceus
Common Name :	Paper-White Narcissus
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	nar-SIS-us pap-i-RA-see-us
Family Roots :	As a member of the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis family), its common relatives include Agapanthus, snowflake, snowdrop, Nerine, kafir-flower, Amaryllis and Lycoris. Native to the western Mediterranean.
Personality :	It is a monocotyledon produced from bulbs. From 10-20 very fragrant florets are produced on a leafless stem (scape) 15 inches or more in length.
Availability :	Late fall to early spring.
Flower Color :	Mostly bright white. However, the subspecies "polyanthus" has pale sulphur-yellow flowers when they are young, becoming white as they age.
Decorative Life :	5-8 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Medium
Ethylene Comments :	Recent research (Reid, et al., 2000) have shown that MCP treated daffodils last longer even when no external ethylene is present. Therefore, treating with MCP or STS will produce benefits, including protecting flowers from external ethylene sources.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Recut stems and place into a fresh flower food solution or plain water as some brands of fresh flower foods do not extend vaselife and can even be detrimental. Run tests to determine which flower food brand or water is best. Cut stems exude sap that can be detrimental to other flowers therefore store separately in water for about 6 hours before mixing with other flowers. Do not recut again when arranging without foam if at all possible or else the 6 hour wait would have to be repeated. However, if the flower food solution being used has a good germicide, the sap may not be harmful to other flowers. See the recent research findings below for more information in this subject area.
Storage Specifics :	Can be stored at 32-33F for up to 10 days or 36-38F for up to 8 days. Dry (preferred) or wet store but keep stems upright to prevent stem bending (geotropism).
Tidbits :	Some references say this plant was named after Narcissus of Greek mythology, who turned into this plant after killing himself because he could not reach his reflection in a pool. Narcissus is a Greek name said to be derived from "narke" (numbness, torpor) in reference to its narcotic properties. Very often grown in homes using just gravel and water. The bulbs contain essentially all of the nutrition and therefore only need water, light and carbon dioxide (from air) to grow and flower. Paperwhite is the Birth Month Flower for December See More Birth Month Flowers: http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html