Lei giving (or piling 🙂 is a local tradition for congratulating the graduate after the ceremony. From photo below, we can spot many of our island beloved lei from top to bottom, they are Single Purple Orchid Lei, Black Kukui Nut and White Seashells, Candy lei, Orange and Light Purple Cigar Lei, Purple Orchid Lei, Brown Kukui Nut Lei, Sea Grape Lei, Rainbow color Yarn Lei, Black Kukui Nut Lei, Tuberose with Ilima Lei, Ti Leave Lei, Double Crown Lei, Green Paper Origami Lei, Miale Lei, Blue Ribbon Lei, White Kukui Nut Lei.

Gardenias season on the island is between April and July. Season peaks right about now in June. If you want them in August, pray for heavy rain in July:) Not recommended. Care of gardenias is simple. When you bring home fresh gardenias from the florist, blossoms are usually tight and off-white with a light touch of green in color. To speed up the bloom and release of fragrant, display your gardenias in the warmer part of the house with bright light. To keep unused bunches dormant, place them in a small short glass of water, place a plastic bag over them to keep the buds from drying out and keep them in the lower shelf of your refrigerator. You can do similar to displayed gardenias when you’re out and about. Upon return, take them back out from the refrigerator, remove plastic bag and continue to enjoy the fragrant of these beautiful summer blossoms. Replace browned flowers with new buds, and change water often. Enjoy the summer. With gardenia around, you’re sure to be in paradise.

Unwrap your bouquet of ribbon, plastic sleeve, and wet paper towel; put it in a vase with some water; you could enjoy your bouquet for another few days.  Better yet, order your bouquet with open stems and no unwraping is required. After the prom, simply place your bouquet in a mid-size vase with some water. Enjoy your prom.  Enjoy your bouquet.

unwraping is easy.

After the bouquet flowers wilted, untie the bouquet, check to see if the flowers are wired (orchids, plumeria, hypericums are usually wired).  Flowers with wire removed can be tossed into your green recycle bin (yard waste bin) for greencycling. Wire can be tossed into your regular waste.  H-power will pick out the metal wire before it goes into the burner.

Here are 2009 first few prom bouquets we’ve created at Sweet Blossoms Hawaii. We wish you all an awesome time at the prom. Enjoy.  More bouquet photos.

More bouquet photos.

It’s time to dispose your Christmas tree and wreaths and it’s tempting to just throw them all in the trash. But it is worth while to separate them out for reuse and recycle first. In Kapahulu area, our next green waste (green bin) pick up is on January 8, Thursday.

Tabletop Christmas tree (topiary) – Pull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. Pull all the greens and dispose them in the (green waste) green bin. Dispose the oasis in the (refuse) gray bin. The vase can be reuse or donate to Goodwill.

Wreath with metal base. – Pull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. The remaining metal base and green is best just thrown in the gray bin. H-power will pick out the metal before burning the rest.

Wreath with natural twig basePull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. Or call your local florist to see if they would take back the wreath. Some would certainly take the time to unwire the greens and save the twig base for future use.

Norfolk Christmas tree is rather easy to set up for treecycle.
1. Take off all the hung ornaments first and store them for future use.
2. Snap off the branches as you untangle the lights, wrapping the lights into a ball and store for next year use.
3. Snap off the remaining branches and bunch them in a pile.
4. Saw the main trunk in two or three pieces.
5. bundle everything and place them in the green bin.

There is still time to bring home and enjoy a locally grown Norfolk Christmas tree. We have just a ONE left at the shop. Christmas trees are best to be Christmas trees at your home. Thank you all for your support for buying local first – even for Christmas trees

6 ft –sold out
7 ft – sold out
9.5 ft –  sold out

Now is a good time to order your Christmas dinner centerpieces with island favorite protea, pin cushion with varies Christmas green.

Our table top Christmas trees are hand crafted with Christmas greens, fillers, ribbons and decoration. They are about 1.5 to 2 feet tall. Perfect for family with small children and pets where worry of them pulling down regular size floor standing Christmas trees.

Holiday season is right around the corner.  Order your flower arrangements early, so you’ll have more time to enjoy the holiday rather than busy at it.  Pin cushion is a little late this year but it definitely be ready to be part of your holiday tropical arrangement.

It’s a lei lovers’ delight last Friday in Honolulu. Beautiful thirteen foot long lei were draped over the King’s statue to pay tribute to our King Kamehameha.  Check out the week long celebrations at the different islands.

(The original Kamehameha statue is located at Kapa’au, the Island of Hawaii. Also another Kamehameha statues are located in Hilo and the Capitol in Washington D.C.)

Free arrangement flower delivery to all Waikiki hotels on Prince Kuhio week (March 23-29, 2008). We are located on Kapahulu – only minutes away from Waikiki hotels. Guarantee fresh flowers to the order. Deliveries are quick but arrangements will take some time to do. So call a few hours ahead or a few days for your special flowers order.

Some Waikiki hotels we delivered to are
Queen Kapiolani Hotel, 150 Kapahulu Ave.
Park Shore Waikiki, 2586 Kalakaua Ave
W Honolulu – Diamond Head, 2885 Kalakaua Avenue
Holiday Inn WAIKIKI, 1830 Ala Moana Blvd.
Outrigger Reef on the Beach, 2169 Kalia Road
The Royal Hawaiian, 2259 Kalakaua Avenue
Sheraton Waikiki, 2255 Kalakaua Avenue
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, 120 Kaiulani Ave
ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel, 2570 Kalakaua Avenue
Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, 2335 Kalakaua Avenue
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort, 2365 Kalakaua Avenue
Aqua Aloha Surf Hotel, 444 Kanekapolei Street
Aqua Palms & Spa, 1850 Ala Moana Blvd.
Pacific Beach Hotel, 2490 Kalakaua Ave.
Aqua Bamboo & Spa, 2425 Kuhio Avenue
Aqua Continental, 2426 Kuhio Avenue
Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber, 2300 Kalakaua Avenue
ResortQuest Waikiki Sunset, 229 Paoakalani Avenue
Ohana Waikiki West, 2330 Kuhio Avenue
Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel, 2375 Ala Wai Boulevard
Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel, 2375 Ala Wai Blvd.
Waikiki Parc Hotel, 2233 Helumoa Rd
Outrigger Waikiki Shore, 2161 Kalia Road
Aqua Elite Hotel, 129 Paoakalani Ave
Aqua Waikiki Beachside, 2452 Kalakaua Ave.
Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Road
Ohana East, 150 Kaiulani Avenue
Aqua Waikiki Marina Hotel, 1700 Ala Moana Blvd.
Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki, 100 Holomoana St
The Ilikai, 1777 Ala Moana Blvd.
Hilton Hawaiian Village, 2003 Kalia Road
Outrigger Luana Waikiki, 2045 Kalakaua Ave
Castle Maile Sky Court, 2058 Kuhio Avenue
Waikiki Gateway Hotel, 2070 Kalakua Avenue
The Royal Hotel & Spa, 440 Olohana St.
OHANA Islander Waikiki, 270 Lewers Street
Coconut Waikiki Hotel, 450 Lewers St.
Wyland Waikiki Hotel, 400 Royal Hawaiian Avenue
Marine Surf Hotel, 364 Seaside Ave.
Aqua Island Colony Hotel, 445 Seaside Avenue
Aqua Waikiki Wave, 2299 Kuhio Avenue
Celebrity Resorts Waikiki, 431 Nohonani St