TV Program Highlights Importance of Locally Grown Flowers

Hitomi Gilliam demonstrates floral arrangements using locally-grown flowers and plants during her workshop, which is now a two-part video airing on Nā Leo TV. Photo courtesy of HFNA.

A two-part video series is now airing on public access TV channels statewide called “Floral Designs for Celebrations,” featuring Hitomi Gilliam, A.I.F.D.

The video was filmed in July 2016 when the Hawai‘i Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) held a floral design workshop led by Gilliam to demonstrate how locally-grown flowers and plants can be used to create arrangements for special occasions including weddings, receptions and banquets.

HFNA recently received a grant from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture for their workshops and public outreach to help contribute to the production and sale of tropical flowers and plants in the Islands. The local nonprofit says it is important to use locally-grown flowers and plants instead of imports to reduce the risk of invasive species and provide employment to bolster Hawai‘iʻs economy.

The two-part video is followed by a segment that explains the importance of locally-grown flowers, foliage and plants, and features Dr. Sam ‘Ohu Gon, senior scientist and cultural advisor for The Nature Conservancy in Hawai‘i.

The video will be streamed online at www.naleo.tv and air during the following times on Nā Leo TV, the community access television provider on Hawai’i Island:

Channel 53

• Wednesday, May 31, 4:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 2, 9 a.m.

Channel 54

• Tuesday, May 30, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, June 1, 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday, June 3, 4 p.m.