GreenWise Gardening 2017
“Ukuli’i ka pua, onaona i ka mau’u” = “Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.”
– Hawaiian Proverb
6/2/17:
I’ve read that Maui has 17 of the world’s 20 different climate zones, and that the diversity of plant species, both native and introduced, is a gardener’s dream. So when Steve and I were invited by my friend Gretchen to join her on vacation, I was excited not only about the warm weather and snorkeling with sea turtles, but also about finding beautiful plants to photograph.
Clicking on the small images below will bring up a larger version.
Yellow hibiscus: Hawaii’s state flower.
Plumeria tree in driveway.
Dendrobium orchids.
We stayed at a vacation house right on the ocean in Napili (on the Northwest coast) for 9 days. I wandered around the property frequently, studying the brilliant colors of flowers and intriguing shapes of leaves and trees.
One day, we traveled to Honolua Bay. The pathway from the parking area to the beach is through a lush, jungle-y forest. There were a lot of chickens hanging out on the shore, which were fun to watch, and cute little birds such as red-crested cardinals.
One day, we traveled to Honolua Bay. The pathway from the parking area to the beach is through a lush, jungle-y forest. There were a lot of chickens hanging out on the shore, which were fun to watch, and cute little birds such as red-crested cardinals.
Tahitian gardenia.
Jungle walk near Honolua Beach.
Red ginger.
On a trip into Lahaina, we stopped at Dan’s Greenhouse. It’s a bizarre tiny shop that’s also like a petting zoo, with exotic birds and potbellied pigs. I bought some kelp fertilizer, plumeria and guava seeds. The climate here at home in Santa Cruz is drier and foggier than Maui, so I might not get these to grow, but I like a challenge sometimes.
Lahaina has an art fair on weekends, that’s held under a magnificent banyan tree. We spent some time wandering around, then got a break from the heat in an open-air upstairs bar, looking out over the landscape. At such times I think it would be great to live in Hawaii (such gardening I could do in this tropical paradise!) but am unsure if I’d want to give up the diversity of California or have a tourism-based job.
Lahaina has an art fair on weekends, that’s held under a magnificent banyan tree. We spent some time wandering around, then got a break from the heat in an open-air upstairs bar, looking out over the landscape. At such times I think it would be great to live in Hawaii (such gardening I could do in this tropical paradise!) but am unsure if I’d want to give up the diversity of California or have a tourism-based job.
Laua’e fern.
Huge Banyan tree.
Orchid or iris?
The luxury of this vacation was quite a contrast from the way I will spend this Saturday and Sunday: doing yardwork in preparation for our landlady’s short-notice visit. But I have missed the garden. It was so nice to return today to the familiarity of my own plants, especially since many flowers started to bloom while I was away.