Showa Gypsophila

Showa Kasumiso, or Showa Gypsophila, is a perennial ⁽¹⁾ baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata）that is cultivated mainly in Showa Village, Yanaizu Town, Mishima Town, and Kaneyama Town in Oku Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. It is characterized by panicles containing many flowers that last long after shipment. The stable quality during the shipping season, i.e., summer and autumn, has gained high  vender's recognition. The producing area is at the top in Japan regarding the cultivation area and the shipment quantity of "perennial kasumiso".

The varieties of "Showa Kasumiso" are selected by JA Aizu-Yotsuba after investigating adaptability, etc. in the producing area.
　"Showa Kasumiso" is cultivated following the "cultivation methods" specified by JA Aizu-Yotsuba. Basically, flowers to be shipped in summer (from July to September) are grown in mountainous regions, and those to be shipped during other seasons can be cultivated on flatlands in the producing area.
　The flowers are sorted and shipped according to the "shipping standards" specified by JA Aizu-Yotsuba.

The primarily mountainous producing area is cold and covered by deep snow in winter and cool in summer, giving it natural conditions favorable for cultivating kasumiso plants.
　In all seasons, the flowers are chilled in a storage facility cooled with snow before shipment. Flowers shipped in summer are restricted to those cultivated in mountainous regions to ensure quality.  In addition, the producing area has systems for producing and shipping high-quality kasumiso flowers using local topography and climate.
　While most kasumiso varieties produce "white" flowers, tinted kasumiso flowers are also made in the producing area by putting flower stems in a dye solution to absorb the color. Such colorful Showa Kasumiso flowers have also gained popularity for their refreshing image of kasumiso.
　The shipment in 2021 was over 5 million individual flowers. Showa Kasumiso won the Gold Award at Floriade 2012 ⁽²⁾ and has also been highly evaluated in other exhibitions.

1. Perennial plants or perennials are plants and flowers that seem to die out in winter or during the dry season because the parts above the ground wither, but the underground structure stays alive, and the plant once more germinates, grows, and flowers when the external conditions become favorable.
2. Floriade 2012 was an international horticultural exposition held in Venlo, Netherlands, from April to October 2012, as an internationally recognized exhibition, an expo recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (International Bureau of Expositions in English).