[Branches grown in-house] Lovely blooming *Himemizuki* (Fringed heath) shipped from Takamori Town, next to Toyooka Village! | May 2025

I'm Hasegawa, and I'm involved in growing cut branches in Toyooka Village, Nagano Prefecture.

In late March 2025, we shipped Itea from Toyooka Village! We were also able to deliver some to our regular cut branch subscription customers.

This time, the Itea came from Mr. Oshima's field, whom I met through the Iida Kaki (floriculture) Cooperative's flower and tree division, to which I belong. Due to his advanced age, pruning had become difficult, and the branches had grown wild (meaning they were magnificent!), so we offered to harvest them.

After the work was done, the plants were neatly trimmed, and Mr. Oshima was pleased that he could walk through the field without bumping into branches.

Although we harvested in the snow, I was relieved to hear that the flowers bloomed beautifully despite the cold.

Itea shows different appearances depending on the season. Some of the fresh green branches we deliver in May and June might also be from Toyooka Village.

Written by
Ren Hasegawa

As a member of a regional revitalisation programme, he works on branch cultivation in Toyooka Village, Nagano. As a student, he competed nationally in canoeing, and the stamina he built now supports his work in branch cultivation.