The Hawaii Floriculture & Nursery Association (HFNA) hosted the 2024 Fresh Look Expo in Hilo, Sept. 19–21. Nearly 80 florists, designers, growers, breeders, and flower enthusiasts from around the world gathered for nursery tours, design demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and more. The sold-out event was featured in Florists’ Review, a leading voice of the global floral industry for more than a century.
HFNA’s Fresh Look is part of the project “Education and Promotion of Hawaii Floriculture Products” funded by the USDA AMS's Specialty Crop Block Grant Funding to promote Hawaiʻi’s floriculture products.
One of the highlights of the event was the naming of a new CTAHR anthurium cultivar in honor of a renowned Canadian floral designer who presented a workshop at the Expo. The new cultivar, ‘Hitomi Gilliam’, is a product of CTAHR’s anthurium breeding program, currently led by Dr. Tessie Amore. The college has collaborated with the anthurium industry since Dr. Haruyuki Kamemoto established a breeding program in 1950. ‘Hitomi Gilliam’ is CTAHRʻs 57th anthurium cultivar released and named to date. Pollinated and germinated in 2001, selected in 2004, and tested with cooperators since 2015, the new cultivar is small to medium in size, with a spathe that is matte on the front and glossy on its back, and a unique coloration that will be useful in floral design.
Among the accomplished and internationally recognized floral designers who presented workshops alongside Ms. Gilliam were local designers Lia and Kelsi Mercado (Hawaiʻi island), Lois Hiranaga (Maui), and Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi (Oʻahu). Visiting designers included Lea Romanowski from Canada, Phil and Cathy Rulloda from California, and Rene VanRems, originally from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, now based in California. “It was an awesome experience to have that many floral designers of their caliber all together in Hawaiʻi! They opened our eyes to new techniques and products,” said Kathleen Yoshinaga, HFNA’s Oʻahu director and former owner of Stanley Ito Florist.
The Expo’s nursery tours fostered a deep connection between florists and growers, sparking conversations that bridged design with cultivation. Discussions emphasized how Hawaiʻi floriculture can compete by producing unique and high-value products. Also addressed were challenges and successes in the transition of ownership from one generation to the next. “Having a nursery financially and operationally sound is key to succession. And the sense of kuleana (responsibility) in carrying on the family’s legacy is also important,” explained Eric Tanouye, President of Green Point Nurseries. “My wife and I are fortunate to have our three sons now involved with the family business.”
CTAHR researchers and floriculture extension agents also took part in HFNA’s ninth annual Grower's Import Replacement Educational Research Seminar. Representatives from CTAHR and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center presents growers, shippers, and industry associates with the latest updates in floriculture research.
See more photos on Flickr.