Peony from JA Nakano-shi

Item:Peony
Growers：JA nakano-shi (Nagano Prefecture)

Now is the best season! Today we would like to introduce peonies of JA Nakano -shi, Nagano prefecture that are now at the peak of harvest for their outdoor cultivation.

✤Enjoy full bloom
Their peonies can bloom large and maintain high-quality because they nourish nursery stock for as long as five years after planting. In addition, they can determine the best timing to harvest the peonies so that they can deliver “peony that can bloom to last in full”

✤How to hydrate peonies
Peony may have sticky nectar on the flower buts.
Because the flower nectar restrain flowering, so you need to wash away the nectar firstly  and cut the bottom of stem in the water for better water uptake. In addition, peonies have large leaves that transpire a lot, so we suggest that you should take off some leaves for long vase life.

To rehydrate peonies, please check movies on our Instagram. ♪

✤Let’s enjoy the fragrance of peony!
Peonies have a fascinating bloom shape, but also have rich fragrance. You can enjoy the fresh fragrance only with a single stem of peony, but if you combine it with other fragrant flowers like roses or herbs, you can increase the effect of fragrance even more!
Why don’t you try this wonderful flower? ♪

  • 210503S502Shirotae
  • 210503S504Oriental Gold
  • 210503S506Bartzella
  • 210503S508UNIVERSE STAR
  • 210503S510Miraika

 

  • 210503S512Maxima
  • 210503S516Roosevelt
  • 210503S518Bunker Hill
  • 210503S520Fuji
  • 210503S522Sarah Bernhardt

 

✦Chrysal professional 2 is given to the water of displayed items.

Translated by Y. Fuchu

Kunieda Rose Garden “Victorian Pink +”

Today, we would like to introduce the rose “Victorian Pink +” cultivated by Kunieda Rose Garden in Shiga Prefecture.

Kunieda Rose Garden is not only a farmer but also a distributor of Dümmen Orange in Japan, and cultivates roses in a place close to the Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan.

The blooming form of this flower is a beautiful rosette type, and as the blooming progresses, the inner petals change its color from beige pink to pale pink. Although its aroma is weak, it blooms slowly, and you can enjoy vase-life for a relatively long time.

Why don’t you use this rose for the May rose season?

Original article written by Mr. Hayashi, translated by Fuchu

Belated Congratulation and send wishes with flowers

The Japan Flower Promotion Council, an association of all flower supply-chain partners, has proposed a new flower gift promotion project to consumers. We are one of the members and our CEO plays the presidential role.

“Okulete gommen”, meaning “Sorry, I am late”, is a promotion project to celebrate belated birthday, marriage, baby-birth, graduation, school-admission and more!

If you missed the opportunity to celebrate someone, we suggest you to create an opportunity to convey your feeling of celebration by making an excuse of presenting a gift of flowers.

◆Okuléte gommen Offical site:
https://nippon-fc.jp/hajimetehanaya/okuletegommen

This time, the Council has released “Okuléte gommen short film” with the theme of “Belated Congratulation and send wishes with flowers”.

The comedy trio “Hanako” as an ambassador of the Okuléte gommen project appears on the film and talks about the story of delivering a bouquet of “Belated Congratulation” to their loved ones. It is a heartwarming documentary film where presentees make smile with unexpected flower gifts, and presenters also make smile when seeing presentees’ smile.

◆Okuléte gommen short film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vD0t_qvnQg

We, as the flower industry, would like to propose to consumers that “it is not too late even if the days have passed”, “everyone will be happy when receiving flowers”, and “let’s convey your feelings with flowers”.

We try to create an opportunity to let consumers feel closer to flowers for the younger generation who doesn’t have needs to go to a flower shop or who has no experience of giving flowers to others.

Translated by Y. Fuchu

Tanashi azalea from Saitama Prefecture


Today we would like to introduce Tanashi azalea (Rhododendron L.) grown by Mr. Shimizu, Hanahan, Saitama Prefecture.

Tanashi azalea, propagated by crossing Rhododendron kaempferi, is named after the growing area of “TANASHI” city, Tokyo (now belongs to Nishi-tokyo City).

Because Tanashi azalea grows slowly, it takes four to five years before the next harvest. And, after harvesting, it needs to be placed in the greenhouse for about one and a half month to make flowers bloom. Due to this time-and-effort-consuming cultivation method, the number of grower is decreasing year by year.

Even under these circumstances, Mr. Shimizu steadily provides Tanashi azaleas in good volume, and from this year he standardizes them by length for easy use to buyers.

The harvesting period will end in the end of April. He also cultivates other cut branches such as cherry blossoms and snowballs (Viburnum opulus Roseum).

Why don’t you use this cut branches for spring flower arrangements?

Original article written by Mr. Ikegami, translated by Fuchu

Enjoy Japanese sweet pea

Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus, one of the legume family is a tendrils-climbing plant. Growers make it bloom beautifully and vertically straight. They make a lot of effort for the work, because it is an annual plants and naturally blooms in spring with twisting vines. This time, we will tell you about the cultivation of sweet pea.

Sweet pea has been cultivate in Japan for a long time since Meiji era(1868-1912) originally as an ornamental plant. Then, commercial cultivation of cut flowers began in the middle of the Taisho era(1912-1926). Around this time, Mr. Ishijiro Araki established the foundation of cultivation technique for sweet pea at Tamagawa glasshouse floriculture complex in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

How to grow sweet pea

Cultivation of sweet pea starts from raising seedlings. Seeds are taken care at low temperatures after soaked in warm water to promote germination. By adjusting this storage period, it is possible to shift the harvesting period from the beginning of winter. Planting will be carried out from late August to early September.

After planting, flower buds appear from the 10th nodes, but it is necessary to make the stock strong for long-term harvesting. By picking those early flower buds until it grows with the 14th nodes or more. It becomes possible to harvest about 20 stems from one strong stock.

Under the summer sun, the vine grows quickly to a height out of our reach with stems bent and vines twisted, when growers do not take enough care. To avoid that, growers lower each stem to a height of easy work for them and fix it to a net or pole. (Therefore, you couldn’t find slightly bent stems when this work is just done.)

In addition, the cultivation of sweet pea needs careful control of the amount of solar radiation and temperature. Since it is native to Sicily, Italy, the optimum temperature for growth is 15 degrees C, and the limit temperature of wilting is -3 degrees C. And it needs more than a few hours of sunshine consecutively a day. So, if the amount of solar radiation is insufficient or the temperature is too low, all buds could fall at once, and that could cause a sharp decrease in yield.

Furthermore, the stem shape changes depending on the amount of water absorbed. If growers supply too much water to the stock, the stem would grow faster, but it would become thinner and softer, and that could lead to a weak stem which can be bent easily, the internodes could be expanded, and flowers could be scattered on sight.

Thus, sweet pea id cultivated with a lot of work and careful management. So what is evaluated as “good quality”? Please let me tell you the tips to distinguish it.

  1. The stem is solid
  2. The internodes are clogged
  3. Large flowers and strong scent

To keep the vase life
Sweet pea is vulnerable to high temperatures and high humidity. Please note that in a hot and humid environment, Botrytis may increase and flowers may have dark spots or may fall off easily.

Edited by Y.Fuchu