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Akiko’s has been creating floral designs for weddings, anniversaries, funerals, holidays, parties, and events for over 40 years.

Akiko, Joe’s mother, began the floral shop in her home at 40 Central Ave. The youngest of her eight children, Joe, returned home 13 years ago to help the family business. He is enjoying the opportunity to use his creative gifts in floral design. When asked about moving back, he responded,” Wellsboro is my hometown, a friendly and quiet place. Being a florist is busy during the holidays, but it is good to be with the family during the laid-back times.

I had the opportunity to chat with Joe about the plants most often seen during the Easter Season. He told us that the Easter Lily was easy to care for, reminding us to water it once or twice a week. You can leave your lily in the pot as an indoor plant, or you can choose to plant it outside, waiting until after the frost.

Joe had 35 Easter Lily plants for sale, but he now has 34 because I bought one to decorate our home for Easter! The price for the plant is $16.99. If you want one, please call Akiko’s at 570-724-1509, and they will put a tag on the plant with your name on it. You can then pick it up, or they will be glad to deliver it.

The Easter Lily history — the Latin name is Lilium longiforum – is native to the southern islands of Japan. Today over 95% of all bulbs grown for the potted Easter Lily market are produced by just ten farms in a narrow coastal region straddling the California-Oregon border, from Smith River, California, to Brookings, Oregon.

The Easter Lily bulbs are harvested in the fall, packed, and shipped to commercial greenhouses, where they are planted in pots and forced under controlled conditions to bloom for the Easter holiday.

In the shop at this time, Joe has a variety of house plants for you to choose from to brighten your home for Easter and Spring, including various colors of hydrangeas. Suppose you would like to enjoy the blooms year-round. Place cuttings in vases or other clear containers and fill with water until several inches of the stem is submerged. Do not overcrowd the vases, so the cuttings have room for the blooms to dry evenly.

For more information about the Easter Lily, please visit these websites.

https://www.1800flowers.com/blog/celebrate-occasions/seasonal-trends/history-of-the-easter-lily/amp/

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/easter-lily-lilium-longiflorum/