Hoogasian Flowers Sponsors US Figure Skating Championships

Hoogasian Flowers was honored to provide the bouquets for the selection of champions at the US Figure Skating Championships in San Jose last month.

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

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

September Birth Month Flower is Aster

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.



http://www.hoogasian.com/September-Birth-Month-Flower-Aster.html

August Birth Month Flower is Gladiolus

Gladiolus means sword in Latin, referring to the long pointed leaves. This might explain one early common name, sword lily.

Miniature forms are available with stems under 2 feet long. Grown from corms, not bulbs. The first species as we know them today were introduced from Ghent, Belgium in 1841.

Flower forms: ruffled, fringed, orchid-like, tulip-like and rose-like.

Some cultivars are sensitive to fluoride found in water supplies, which can result in flower tip burn.

Shorter cultivars are available which has transformed this stereotypic funeral flower into a contemporary favorite.

See more Birth Month Flowers:

http://www.hoogasian.com/BirthMonthFlowers.html