Yesterday....

I had a wonderful visit with Dave/Metrosideros in his garden. He lives quite close by....about 1 mile as the crow flies...but not being a crow it takes me about 13 mins on the roundabout route.

Dave's garden had to wait while he recovered from being really ill (I think he mentioned before how he was a walking timebomb with Type I Diabetes and didn't know it...and medical treatment here is sketchy at best) and has grown and grown and grown and threatening to bury everything. little by little Dave is managing to whack the jungle back and uncover his garden...and what has been cleared away is stunning! Wonderful collections of plants, some of which have gone 'bush' themselves... He has a lot to take care of right now. I managed to come away with some terrific cuttings and plantlets...to add to my growing jungle...

Dave is helping me with a project: I was contacted by the Smithsonian (no idea why, but I did) who wants to plant a garden of 'Canoe' plants. These are plants brought to Hawaii by the Polynesians when they came here and they have a display of the canoes used etc. Knowing next to nothing about these plants, Dave has come to my rescue...and had infinite sources and resources to find the plants the Smithsonian wants. His knowledge is impressive!!!

Here is a clump of wild ground orchids in bloom now - Phaius tankervillii (not sure I have the spelling correct)...or Nun's Cap Orchid. The fragrance was terrific!!!

Thanks, Dave!!

I was also in town in the morning, and drove thru a new neighborhood (I like wandering around, scoping out plants I haven't seen!!! I came across this double hibiscus...and managed to find someone home who was delighted to give me a cutting!!!! Isn't that the most delicious color yellow?

Carol you are having way too much fun.
The Smithsonian project sounds fantastic; I think you need to give it its own thread and keep us all posted on the progress.
That is indeed a yummy hibiscus....

That's Phaius tankervilliae, it's native to the east coast of Australia and I think a lot of South East Asia.

That's the advantage I have with my climate, the dry season stops things from going too rampant. Controlling the irrigation controls the plants. The down side is that if the irrigation plays up you can lose some of the garden.

I am too ignorant to even be involved with you great people. Will just continue to "lurk".

PK

Phaius tankarvilleae.

Carol is a great sport. She waded through my place often knee deep in weeds, and finished the tour with a smile!

The gardens are getting cleaned up regularly; I am encouraged that so much stuff has survived.

You have so many gems hidden in there, Dave....! And your puppy to help you!

Here is Kea, helping press down the mulch!

Here is Pleioblastus bamboo in a pot.

Shibatea kumasaca & Areca vestiaria 'Sunset'.

Oops! That last picture is Marojejya darianii. A palm on the verge of extinction, which was just discovered in 1983 in Madagascar. Soon it will only exist in gardens.

Here is Shibatea & Areca.

I had an Areca vestiaria, but it didn't survive the dry season. The irrigation system wasn't set up right for it.

Hmm.. If I didn't know better I'd say there's a bit of Blue Heeler in your puppy. Ann

Kea is Springer Spaniel and Boxer mix.

Aloha, Ka po'e apau.

Carol, congratulations on having been sought out by the Smithsonian Institute. And you don't know why! Obviously, they know a good gardener when they hear about one. That project sounds so exciting.

That yellow hibiscus is just stunning. We were told that only the yellow hibiscus is the state flower of Hawai'i. You can't get much more stately than that one. Gail said: Imagine a lei made of those! Gail was hoping to be greeted with a lei upon our arrival in Hawai'i. We landed at 2:30 in the AM and there was not a lei in sight. The next morning, I went to chinatown and got her one. Cost of the lei: $25; taxi to buy the lei: $38; the smile on her face: priceless. She still remembers it fondly. It was a green orchid lei made up of more than 200 blooms. She wore it to board the ship, wore it every night and wore it for debarkation. It lasted 14 days. When not worn, she left it in its box in the refrigerator. But I digress.

Princess K, whatever do you mean when you say you are too ignorant to join in? If it weren't for a lousy master gardener's course I took 2 years ago and the attention my fellow gardeners on DG have lavished upon me, I would still be talking about snow, frozen blue clay, ice storms and zone 3 perrenials that wouldn't survive winter in zone 5 no matter what you did to them. Don't say things like that, dearest. Ignorance is a state of mind characterized by the brain steadfastly refusing to even attempt to better itself. Noone suffers from that at Dave's Garden. Just joining Dave's Garden is an indication you do not suffer from that debilitating ailment. Don't make me come down there!

Good news, everyone. I am leaving on the 3rd annual Guy's Only Cruise with my friend Claude on March 8th. The Freedom of the Seas will be our home as we visit Porto Rico, St.Maarten and St.Thomas. Here's a picture of the ship I took a year ago in Jamaica.

Aloha.
Pu'ole.

Thank you,Sylvain. I continue to try with this obsession of the tropical islands. It is beautiful here today although the fountain was frozen this morning the temp has come up 10 degrees in the last hour. Hope for a warm day after all.

PK

Wow, Carol! What an honor to be asked to do a canoe garden! Congratulations - that really is something, and how very smart of you to go to Dave to pick his brains!

Isn't that hibiscus beautiful, I don't believe I have ever seen a double (triple?) yellow like that before, it's gorgeous!

Dave, you and Kea have such wonderful plants - thank you for posting pictures (another ignoramus here Christi!).

Pu'ole, have a wonderful time on your cruise - I am sure you will find a "Senor Frog's " somewhere!

Do let us know about the plants you choose for the canoe garden....

Aloha to all.

As I said before (I think), Google is a wonderful tool!!! Anyone can find anything!

Yes, Sylvain...have a glorious trip!!!!

Edited to add that NO ONE should feel 'behind' or disadvantaged in knowledge or adventure. Everything is relative...and the tools are endless!





This message was edited Feb 22, 2009 7:39 AM

right!?, no more comments like that Christi dearest, you will be in hugging range in a few days and I might have to squeeze a little extra next time!!!:)

I'm almost ready to give ground orchids a whirl. I tried a couple times, and didn't have it down right!

Carol, I've been trying to get a solid yellow for a while..I do have a double now, but it doesn't bloom too much..probably needs repot...

Dave, still looking for shoots off of the purple magnolias..

Carol and Dave, what a great meeting! I am enjoying every bit of it! Tell us more about the S. Project!

Sylvain, have a wonderful trip! Is Gail going on a "Gals Only" as well?

Hugs to all!

No, Gail is staying home and taking a break from living with a polar bear year-round. Actually, we get a bit of a break from each other once a year. It's healthy. We're like siamese twins: you see one, the other one is never very far.

Take car.
Sylvain.

Carol, How's it going with the Contiki project? Could you please update us?
Thanks, Ann

HAHA...just waiting for the check!!! They sent me FedEx labels for shipping so I know it is a go....

In the meantime the California Academy of Science contacted me (I must be on some list????) and they want hoya and dischidia from Borneo for their Borneo Rain Forest. I happen to have a good collection from Borneo...and I plan on accompanying the plants to SF, stay with friends and help the Horticulturalist plant them!!!!! Thrilling!

Sylvain...et ta voyage? Let's hear about your 'guys night out cruise!!!!'

The 3rd annual guys' cruise was a total success.

How does one condense 7 days of good-natured clean fun into a few sentences? I'll try.

We sailed out of Miami on the Freedom of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship. The ship visited Puerto Rico, St.Thomas and St. Maarten. We only went ashore in Puerto Rico, having seen the other 2 islands ad nauseam.

The goal of breaking with everyday teedium was fully attained and often exceeded. We lounged on deck chairs in the shade during the day, retired to the room around 4PM for before-dinner drinks and room service munchies, went for dinner some time between 7 and 9:30PM, saw the featured show, haunted the cigar room, sang along at the British pub, made fools of ourselves at karaoke, went for a walk on deck under the stars around midnight for a breath of fresh air before returning to the bars and disco until closing time. We closed the bars at 3:30AM and opened the breakfast buffet at 6:00AM for coffee and a bite to eat. There was a bed in the room but we didn't use it that much.

Here is a picture of Claude and myself in the British pub around closing time, towards the end of the cruise. Wear and tear is beginning to show on Claude but I appear all right, all things considered. I used my camera's self-portrait feature. It works well.

Aloha, y'all!
Pu'ole, a.k.a. Sylvain.

Sylvain, I am sure that you enjoy life wherever you may be....and it is contagious for those around you. Glad your trip was a success.

PK

Now Phaius tankervilliae is a very common orchid in Costa Rican gardens. It is a beatifull orchid.

So what plants are in the Canoe collection? Are they prevalent in other areas of Polynesia? Any in Melanesia and Micronesia also?

I'm relatively new although I've been registered for awhile so if you ever have free time (HaaHaa) I'd love to see some of your favorite hoyas. Do you grow them on trellises or in a shadehouse? I love them but have no vine areas. Even my jade vine has been sitting in a pot under a tree for a year.
I've seen "The List" you are just below Leland Miyano and above Don Ho.
Ann

Hawaiian Bamboo or 'Ohe, Schizostachyum glaucifolium, is a Canoe Plant. Here is a shot of the culms, culm leaf, branches, and leaves.

Here is a stand of 'Ohe. It has been used to make musical instruments, light construction, and for food (shoots).

This is Kukui, Aleurites moluccana, the Candlenut Tree. Hawaiians used the nuts to make torches, oil for medicinal, cosmetic, and industrial use. The nuts are also roasted to make a spice (inamona) for fish. The bark is used to make a yellow dye. The tree also provided timber. Kukui was planted to bring fertility to the soil.

'Awa, Piper methysticum, or Kava is the famous source of the numbing / pain-killing drink, kava-kava. It is made from the roots of the giant herb. The leaves are used as a medicinal; they are a broad spectrum antibacterial, which can be used internally or externally.

This cultivar is 'Mo'i'

I have a Kukui tree :-)

'Uala is the Hawaiian name for sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. 'Uala was the main food source for Hawaiians in dry areas of the Islands.

This cultivar is known as 'Kane'ohe Poni'.

Cool Dave. Keep them coming!! Ann

In areas with ample water, Kalo or Taro, Colocasia esculenta, was grown. Kalo is the source of Poi, an Island favorite food!

This cultivar is 'Kumu 'Ula'.

Ko is Hawaiian for Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum. Ko was chewed for it's sweet juices to provide energy. It's juice put in desserts, and given to children to coax them into taking their medicine!

This beautiful purple flushed cultivar is named 'Uahi a Pele', meaning "the smoke of Pele".

Of course Ki / Ti, Cordyline fruticosa, and Niu / Coconuts, Cocos nucifera, were on board. They provided materials for construction, thatching and weaving; medicine and food.

I have a kukui nut lei that I knotted myself during our Hawai'ian cruise 2 years ago.

Aloha.
Pu'ole, a.k.a. Sylvain.

The List?

Will send you a link to my hoya photos....when I find it!!!

Love your photos Dave....and the wonderful lessons in history and culture. Don't stop!

In rainy areas 'Ulu or Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, was an important staple food. In legend the akua (god) Ku gave his life to become an 'Ulu tree to save his people from starvation. Once an 'Ulu tree becomes large it produces an enormous amount of food!