Aiea, HI Florists

Aiea Flower Shop News

Gardening: Pink powder puffs are not always that particular color - San Bernardino County Sun

The result is reversion to the green foliage form from which the sport derived. A case in point is variegated Hawaiian elf schefflera (Schefflera arboricola ‘Variegata’). New growth on mature plants typically reverts to green.As long as we are talking about Calliandra, we cannot overlook one of our most fetching native plants. It’s known as Baja fairy duster (Calliandra californica) due to its delicate whisk broom flowers. Both pink powder puff (10 feet tall and wide at maturity) and Baja fairy duster (5 feet tall and wide at maturity) may be grown as stand-alone shrubs or trained up a trellis. Baja fairy duster is renowned for its seemingly endless flower production. Only for brief periods will you not find at least one or two blooms on display.Grace Hampton, who gardens in Burbank, wrote to inquire about the sabra prickly pear cactus that grows in Israel and throughout the Mediterranean, wondering how it got there since it is native to Mexico. This cactus arrived in the Mediterranean courtesy of Spanish explorers who brought back samples from their Mesoamerican expeditions.Although both the fruit and the pads of this cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) are edible, the Spanish had a different application in mind. Their interest was in the red pigment that was found in the gut of white cochineal scale insects that attach themselves to prickly pear cactus pads.If you have any of this cactus in your yard, you have probably noticed the presence of these sticky insects at one time or another.From the time the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century, until the advent of synthetic dyes in the late 19th century, cochineal scales were the main source of red textile dye in America and Europe.Spain had a monopoly on the cochineal dye market for about 250 years until scale-laden cactus pads were surreptitiously exported — by the French and Portuguese — to the Caribbean, the Canary Islands and Portugal.Sessile female scales attach themselves to prickly pear cactus pads, stick their proboscises into the pads, and suck cactus sap for sustenance. In the process, they produce a rich scarlet pigment known as carminic acid. This metabolite is stored in the gut of the female scales, to be used in defending themselves from attacking a...

How an Ecuadorian rose makes the journey to your American sweetheart for Valentine's Day - The Denver Post

Fahrenheit. Too cold, they freeze. Too warm, they wilt. Too dry, they shrivel. A special room is set aside for tropical flowers sourced from Hawaii and other equatorial destinations, which demand temperatures in the 60s and even more humidity.The Amato team has pulled long hours since the first holiday flowers were delivered on Feb. 6. Now, Amato’s coolers are stuffed to brim for Valentine’s Day, but the wholesaler’s team moves with balletic precision and grace as they wheel dollies packed with product through narrow paths. It helps that many employees have worked there for a decade or longer.Head receiver Alfredo Giles, a nine-year Amato employee, enjoys the team’s passion for the work and the friendships they’ve formed on the cooler floor. But no one is a bigger fan of his job than his wife.“Every time I get home she says, ‘You smell like flowers,’ ” Giles said. He makes sure to bring home her favorites, roses and lilies.Carrie Miller, an Amato saleswoman for 13 years, had a magnetic connection with flowers from an early age. As a girl she would hop her grandparents’ fence to pluck blooms from the neighbor’s garden to make into arrangements. As she loads dozens of flowers onto a dolly at Amato, the petals blend in with a colorful full sleeve tattoo on her left arm of peonies, irises, sweet peas and, yes, roses.“I was born to do this,” she said.Weickum expects the holiday crunch time to continue through a final push on Valentine’s Day morning. Then Amato’s coolers will have a couple months to breathe before a rash of floral festivities arrive: Easter, prom season and the wholesaler’s top sales driver: Valentine’s Day is Amato’s second busiest holiday — Mother’s Day reigns supreme.“Everybody has a mom,” Weickum said. “Not everybody has a sweetheart.”...

What does the one you love really want for Valentine's Day; how much do most people spend? - WYFF Greenville

Connecticut, Virginia, Texas and both North and South Carolina, Yeti coolers were in the top five. Pedicures made the top five most popular list in Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.Flickr, RaySunglasses made the top five list in several states, including Alaska, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Evening though chocolates and roses dominated the list, in Wyoming, gummy bears made the top five, while Oreos were big in Iowa and North Dakota. The first-place choices for Valentine’s Day gifts in each state were: Alabama: ChocolatesAlaska: Engagement ringsArizona: RosesArkansas: RosesCalifornia: RosesColorado: RosesConnecticut: ChocolatesDelaware: Engagement ringsFlorida: RosesGeorgia: ChocolatesHawaii: RosesIdaho: RosesIllinois: RosesIndiana: SunglassesIowa: RosesKansas: RosesKentucky: RosesLouisiana: RosesMaine: RosesMaryland: ChocolatesMassachusetts: RosesMichigan: ChocolatesMinnesota: RosesMississippi: ChocolatesMissouri: RosesMontana: Box of chocolatesNebraska: RosesNevada: Box of chocolatesNew Hampshire : Diamond braceletNew Jersey: Box of chocolatesNew Mexico: Bouquet of rosesNew York: RosesNorth Carolina: Flower bouquetNorth Dakota: Flower bouquetOhio: Wedding bouquetOklahoma: Teddy bearOregon Flower: BouquetPennsylvania: Bouquet of rosesRhode Island: Aquamarine ringsSouth Carolina: Chocolate trufflesSouth Dakota: Gold stud earringsTennessee: Bouquet of rosesTexas: Flower BouquetUtah: RosesVermont: Men’s ringsVirginia: Flower bouquetWashington: Box of chocolatesWest Virginia: SunglassesWisconsin: Bouquet of rosesWyoming: PerfumePro Flowers... http://www.wyff4.com/article/what-does-the-one-you-love-really-want-for-valentines-day-how-much-do-most-people-spend/16573899

Best of Honolulu 2017: Services - HONOLULU Magazine (blog)

And seeing our team grow has been super exciting. I love working with people who love to come to work.”1917 Colburn St., (808) 735-7788, gourmeteventshawaii.com.Shibori ClassOnce a centuries-old Japanese method of resist dyeing, shibori is making a comeback in a big, bold way. It’s everywhere—on Pinterest, on reusable tote bags and in the collection of local designer Malia Jones. The Honolulu Museum of Art is offering a four-session workshop this summer with artist Gail Toma in August. Cost is $140 (plus $35 for supplies). Learn how to manipulate the fabric—binding, tying, folding—and use indigo dye to create a one-of-a-kind design.honolulumuseum.orgHidden Orchid SourcePhoto: David CroxfordFollow the handlettered cardboard signs to Plant Hawai‘i in Waimanalo on the weekends to find direct-from-the-farm deals on stunning orchids, hybridized hibiscus and a wide array of plumeria. The Willson and Picquet families created a green oasis of flowering plants off a rutted road nearly three years ago. Customers who discovered the orchids—some as low as $10 a plant—can find trays of flowers to brighten their homes. “People like the feeling of coming out to the country,” says co-owner Scot Willson. “We’re always going to fill the greenhouse with cool stuff every week.” He says their floral design work for weddings and events is growing but not replacing their core flower business: growing and selling beautiful and often hard-to-find blooms, from fragrant honohono and brilliant shades of vanda to ready-to-plant plumeria. Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. Check the website for other times. 41-928 Kaka‘ina St., Waimanalo, (808) 384-2065, planthawaii.com.Best Pet PhotographerPhotos: Steve CzerniakFull disclosure: Our pick for the island’s best pet photographer also happens to be HONOLULU Magazine’s regular food shooter, too. Steve Czerniak started snapping portraits of pets in 2010 as Wag and Snap Photography, using a natural-light style and simple, beautiful outdoor settings—no coconut-shell bikini tops to be found here. “I don’t do schlock,” he says. “I like for the dogs to look like dogs.” The results are high-quality, memorable and seriously cute.wagandsnap.com.Best LocksmithReader PickFor nearly 50 years, Salz Lock & Safe has been providing top-of-the-line locksmithing. Husband-and-wife founders Herm and Tomiko Salz opened the original shop on Monsarrat Avenue in 1970, then passed it to son Joe, daughter Linda and nephew Mark. “Our clients rely on us to help them secure their homes, restaurants, vehicles and stores,” says Linda Salz-Goto. “Our team collectively has well over 200 years of experience.” Salz takes care of it all: rekeying locks, installing safes, duplicating keys, programming automotive chip keys, the works. When it comes to keeping things locked up, Salz is your (ahem) safest bet.3012 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 734-6557, salzlock.com.3-D Printing ServicePhoto: David CroxfordIt’s remarkable how quickly 3-D printing has caught on with architecture firms, medical institutions and manufacturers. For the average Joe or Jane, though, it’s pricey to get your design or replacement part done. You can go to 3-D shops and work with them for a fee to make your prototype a reality, but to get hands-on with a 3-D printer on an ad hoc basis? Good luck. http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/July-2017/Best-of-Honolulu-2017-Services/