Old Friend

Was in Kona working at Ho'onanea (the farm where we grow Kona Perfect Coffee). While in Kailua Town, I ran into Uncle Billy. Uncle Billy is a Rotarian and I first met him 20 years ago (he is now 90 years old and gets around on his scooter). He was the source of referral for realtors on the Big Island and, ultimately, was the reason we became property owners in Kailua and Holualoa! His daughter runs Keoki's Donkey Balls in Kailua. Uncle Billy's Kona Bay Hotel and Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Hotel are the two "local" hotels for Kama'aina to stay on the Big Island. Just another day in Paradise!

January Birth Month Flower is 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!

Wishing Every One  of You Peace, Health, Love and Happiness in 2013!

Rungis Flower Market

We had an opportunity to visit Paris recently and our hosts, Nancy and Paul Godbout of New Hampshire, suggested we visit the Rungis National Market... specifically the flower and plant section. The market is a square mile of wholesale vendors of every type(meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruit, and, of course, flowers and plants.

What an experience!

The barn shown above is but one of several and there are at least three or four aisles as shown above. Each with a great variety of products.

The above shot is typical of the depth and breadth of supply at each of the vendors.

The supply of holiday goods was astounding and this is just a sample.

Paul Godbout pictured in one supply vendor's warehouse... which was three stories!

Holiday Ribbons available in patterns and colors for every taste.

An incredible experience that is off the beaten track if you ever visit Paris:
Marché d'Intérêt National de Rungis

November Birth Month Flower is Chrysanthemum

Botanical Name :	Chrysanthemum X morifolium (Dendranthema X grandiflorum)
Common Name :	Chrysanthemum, Mum, Florist Mum
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	kris-AN-the-mim X mor-i-FOL-i-um (den-DRAN-the-ma grand-I-FLOR-um)
Family Roots :	Member of the Asteraceae or Compositae (aster or sunflower) family. Native to China. Common relatives include Cosmos, Dahlia, Calendula, Zinnia, strawflower, lettuce, artichoke and endive.
Personality :	Composite heads of ray and disk flowers in numerous forms and sizes at ends of branches. Stems are leafy, usually branched or pinched to form one or more flowered stems. Plant is a semi-woody perennial, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flowers are not fragrant in the typical manner but may be aromatic.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	Shades of red, pink, orange, bronze, yellow and white.
Decorative Life :	7-14 days, some types last longer.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Low
Ethylene Comments :	Not sensitive at generally encountered ethylene levels in the commercial world. At higher levels, growth can be stunted (internodes shortened) and leaf fall is possible.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Make sure stems are cut above any woody portions to ensure good water uptake and do not pound stem ends, as this does not increase water uptake. Rather, remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Deionized water may reduce vaselife compared to tap or well water. The sugar in flower food is required for florets to develop to maturity. Foliage yellowing and wilting can be due to improper storage, growing conditions and/or high levels of sugar in the vase solution. Using commercially sold benzyladenine sprays or uptake solutions can retard leaf yellowing. A more novel approach is to place freshly harvested cut stems into a 3-4% methanol and water solution for 12-24 hours at 70F prior to shipping. Flowers failing to open entirely generally means that they were harvested too immature and/or they were exposed to high temperatures after harvest.
Storage Specifics :	Storage at 36-38 F (3 days or less) is fine, 32-34 F (if over 3 days). Stems with well-developed buds may be stored for up to 3 weeks.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Plants grown at high (93%) relative humidity lasted longer after harvest compared to those grown at 81 and 70%.
Tidbits :	From Greek "dendron" (tree) and "anthemon" (flower). Many flower forms exist-standards have one flower per stem, spray mums are branched with several flowers per stem. Some form classes are daisy, spider (Fuji), quill, football, pompon, cushion, button and spoon. The "X" in the name means that it is a hybrid between at least two species. The specific epithet name grandiflorum means large flowers. Mums have been cultivated in China for 2000 years, infusions of the leaves and flowers were used as medicine and fermented into wine. The dew collected from the flowers was said to promote longevity. The mum was introduced to Japan in 400 AD and became the emblem of the imperial family. Name was recently changed back to Chrysanthemum X morifolium. It is a short day plant meaning that it will only flower when the days are short and the night long. That is why it naturally only flowers in the fall. At other times of the year the light/dark periods of the day have to be controlled by growers to promote flowering. Mums reached Europe in the late 18th century, where the Chusan daisy became known as the pompon chrysanthemum because it resembled tassels on French sailors' hats. In Italy, mums are associated only with funerals and death. Some favorite cultivars and their respective flower colors include 'White Diamond' (white), 'Pelee' (orange and yellow) 'Shasta' (white), 'Regal Davis' (purple) and 'Miramar' (yellow). Appearance of pink/red coloration on petals for cultivars not of this color indicates old flowers and/or flowers grown too cold. Material leaking out of carnation stems held in the same container as mums can often reduce the life of the mums. 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. Today, the flower heads, when dried, are used to flavor soups and stews and as coloring for butter. According to Creasy (1999), fresh petals are edible. Can be used in salads and teas or sprinkled over clear soups. Chrysanthemum is the Birth Month Flower for November: http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html

October Birth Month Flower is Marigold

Marigold

Botanical Name :	Tagetes erecta
Common Name :	African Marigold
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	ta-GAY-teez e-REK-ta
Family Roots :	Member of the Asteraceae or Compositae (aster family). Native to Mexico and Central America. Common relatives include calendula, cosmos, dahlia, zinnia and strawflower.
Personality :	Flowers single or more often double, up to 2 inches across, at stem ends. Stems hollow, leafy, 24-32 inches long. Plant is an annual, classed as a dicotyledon. Flowers have a somewhat pungent odor, as do the leaves.
Availability :	Mostly summer but more being grown year-round.
Flower Color :	Yellow, orange, solid colors.
Decorative Life :	About 7-10 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Medium
Ethylene Comments :	Severe levels can cause epinasty or bending of the stems. Under some conditions where exposure to high ethylene levels is possible, treating with an anti-ethylene product could be beneficial.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Leaves left in vase water rot easily and have foul odor.
Storage Specifics :	In one study it is reported that 34-36F is best, but not recommended for long periods. In another study, French marigolds stored better at 40F compared to 33F.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Treating with the growth retardant Uniconazole for plug height control during production does not adversely affect subsequent growth and flowering.
Tidbits :	Named for Tages, an Etruscan deity, the grandson of Jupiter, who sprang from the ploughed earth. 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. Scent of foliage deters insects, roots exude chemical that repels soil nematodes. Marigolds often interplanted with crops or other ornamentals for pest control. The specific epithet name "erecta" means upright. Appropriately named Mary s Gold, these were the flowers of the Virgin Mary and were used to decorate church altars. Sometimes fed to chickens to improve yolk color. Suitable for drying. According to Creasy (1999), fresh petals are edible. Can be used in deviled eggs and butter and sprinkled over broccoli and other strong flavored vegetables. T. erecta are generally taller, have bigger flowers and their flowers often consist of one color whereas T. patula are shorter, smaller and have bicolored flowers.

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.