Favorite Lei Making

June 23, 2026Leave a comment

Floral Gifts for our Community

By Heidi Bornhorst

It only happens once every three years. The Major flower show by the Garden Club of Honolulu at the Art Academy AKA HOMA.

My sister Mimi and I decided to go bright and early on the first day, Friday May 8, 2026, while flowers and volunteers were fresher.

I planned a special symbolic lei to make. I watched over my flowers and trees for the special day.

The night before I started gathering, cleaning, hydrating, and prepping.

To begin, we moved my car and got out the ladder to pick early blooming Plumeria variety ‘Paterson’s Gold.’ Caroline Peterson for many years did the Giant florals at the Art Academy.

In fact, she interviewed May Moir for the Volunteer job. May said she was formidable. (May was too!) Moir and her Volunteer team created the large florals every week for more than 30 years.

It is a gorgeous and lovely fragrant plant. The buds are orange when they first emerge and the petals are golden yellow, some of them have pink tips.

May’s Granddaughter Susanne Zola gave me a cutting of this Plumeria, and we planted it by our front wall.

Plumeria ‘Petersons gold’ is a strong lei flower and a garden gift.

We had Plumeria ‘King Kalakaua’ in our Makiki garden growing up. It was a favorite of our Mom, Marilyn Bornhorst. When we moved to Wahiawa, and then Palolo, we planted cuttings in our new gardens.

This Flower is a later bloomer. I only had a few, but I wanted them to be part of these special lei.

I then went to the back yard where the ‘Happy Honeymoon’ Pua keni keni tree grows.

Dede Replinger insisted that we have this tree in our garden. It came from her special Aunty in Palolo.

I sprayed down the tree (Rinses off thrips and hydrates the flowers). I then picked young and old flowers and a few buds.

The finishing touch was Selaginella or peacock ferns for the green lacy ferny accent.

I prepared all the pua in the sink with basins of water.

Rinse the flowers and hydrate. Then cut the pua floral stems at an angle.

I then got out the PFAS dental floss. Some brands are not good for using in our mouths, as they employ forever chemicals. We went thought the list and marked them “lei making only”

I strung up two lei, one for me and one for Tita Mimi. I then got plastic bags, filled them with air, and floated on top of cool water.

(Never refrigerate a pua keni keni lei! It will go black and rot in the fridge)

We happily wore these floral creations of wearable color and fragrance to the Flower show.

Many inspiring plants, florals, and floral art creations!

Such garden gifts all around for our community!

In my “retirement” / creative employment, I just love creating Lei. And Sharing with Ohana and friends!

`Ohi`a `ai (mountain apple) pickles

May 14, 2026May 19, 2026Leave a comment

`Ohi`a `ai (mountain apple) and a fun pickle recipe

By Heidi Bornhorst

After the flooding rains and wild winds of 2026, I was curious to see how plants and trees, flowers and fruit would respond.

We have a neighbor who has a fabulous Tahitian mountain apple tree in her garden. Over the years I have helped prune, oversee a big crown reduction pruning and helped her (and former owner Cindie) rake up many many fallen fruits (makes great compost) or an overloaded dripping green trash bin!

This year I watched buds and flower form, and fruit ripen. Now I have been going up to pick and help her again in her garden (drainage issues from the flood)

I Love picking these jewel like fruit. It’s a good upper arm workout, with the picker. You see a gorgeous red plump one, wiggle the picker up to it, carefully, so as not to dislodge the unripe neighbors. The best ones have a bird peck in them; I just rinse well and cut out the bird bites.

With an abundance of Tahitian mountain apples, this short season ephemeral fresh fruit that you can’t freeze like mangoes, what to do?

Hawaii people are funny about `Ohi`a `ai or mountain apples. Some Love them, especially this giant pretty variety, and some politely say no thank you.

These days we are joyous to accept mango and lychee, avocado and `ulu even to the point of buying them! (And as soon as you do spend money on them, guarans, somebody is going to gift you with a whole bag of same fruit or produce from their garden or farm!)

But mountain apples, not so much.

Some do not like them; some must have raked up too many fallen ones as a kid or something!

I tell them they are rich in vitamin C, and supply dietary fiber, as well as vitamin A and C and Calcium… freshly picked, rinsed and chilled, so crisp and refreshing, etc., but only a few takers among my neighbors and friends.

Mountain apples are a natural source of hydration – perfect for hot summer days! Or enjoyed down at the beach.

My niece Jalene was visiting and found an article about them, which included 2 recipes, one for pickles and one for apple sauce with ginger.

Both sound ono and not too complex. My friend and Farmer on Hawaii island, Deborah Ward makes `ohi`a `ai PIE.

Jalene and I harvested several bags, came home, cleaned, and ate some.

Then we decided to make pickles:

1. Wash well in cool water.

2. Slice thinly

3. Marinated in clean jars:

Ingredients

• White vinegar

• Braggs apple cider vinegar

• Finely chopped garlic

• 2 chili peppers, Ni`oi, chopped.

• Pa`akai Hawaiian salt

• Brown sugar

Mix well, cap jars and refrigerate.

The chili peppers have been in a bag in my freezer, a gift from Surfing Budley, Colleen Kudo. The salt from Kalaupapa where my friends Mari Zane; and Ben and Ellie Lum volunteer.

The brown sugar I bought at Longs a while ago, when the last sugar plantation closed on Maui, thought I had better stock up on real Hawaiian sugar while it lasted. I don’t cook with sugar much, usually.

This came out pretty ono and very lovely to look at in the jar. They will be gifts and side dishes for our Fourth of July pa`ina with our Gourmet hiking buddies.

Mountain apples or `ohi`a `ai (the `ohi`a that you `ai or eat) are related to `ohi`a lehua, both are in the Myrtaceae plant family. They are a Polynesian introduction or canoe plant. Some call it ‘Malay apple’ as it is native to the Malay peninsula, and nearby areas, but long spread around by fruit eating and planting people.

Brought not only for the fruit but also for medicine and for beauty. As my mom says the prettiest stage to her, is in flower and the magenta blossoms on the tree and reflected up from the ground below, from masses of fallen stamens.

Syzygium malaccense is the Latin name that scientists use. The typical Hawaiian variety is kind of fat and round. There are also white fruited varieties. The ‘Tahitian’ is long and becomes deep red when ripe.

This is not a common variety these days, so I’ve been carefully saving seeds from the biggest, nicest ones to share and plant.

We all need to plant more trees and cool our islands and ourselves. Why not plant a nice Tahitian Mountain apple tree?!

Zephranthes a gift of rain and May Moir

February 23, 2026Leave a comment

By Heidi Bornhorst

Question: Heidi, what can we grow in rocky Nanakuli as a replacement for lawn grass? We don’t have the time or money to fertilize, mow, and water and we don’t like the thought of polluting our aquifer or ocean with chemical fertilizers.

Kupuna M.A., Nanakuli

Answer: Zephranthes lilies might be just the thing. They look like grass and also have gorgeous flowers, an added benefit. The pretty lily flowers tell us and the taxonomists that they are a lily, just like mondo “grass”, and Liriope.

After a good rain you sometimes see yellow lilies popping up. I feel like this is a floral visit from May Moir. One good place to see them is along Palolo Avenue. They may have been the original akamai wai groundcover, planted along with gorgeous and low fuss no muss Magnolia trees, which are our City street trees.

May Moir, the late great Art Academy volunteer flower arranger, and natural Hawaiian gardener, was a big proponent of this simple plant. They are lilies and they come in yellow, pink and white. Check out the book “Floral traditions” if you want to learn more about May Moir and other volunteers who made floral designs of epic proportions for our local art center. This book makes a great Holiday gift for the gardeners, flower and art lovers on your list.

They are perfect in a Japanese or Chinese rock garden. Most of the time they look like a nice healthy mondo (also a lily) but sometimes they flower and then they are so pretty and striking.

After flowering is pau, don’t cut off the flower heads. They will form seed pods with lots of flat black seeds stacked inside They are easy to plant and grow. They also don’t need much water so we like them in our less thirsty or xeriscape gardens.

Perfect in a rock garden, edge of driveway, in a pot.

The yellow Zephyr lilies are really choice and it’s such a cheerful color. They respond to rain and a carpet of gold sprouts up. This is one of those old-fashioned plants that lend itself well to low input gardening.

Naupaka

August 9, 2025Leave a comment

By Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst

Naupaka is such a simple and elegant native Hawaiian plant to grow in beach gardens, xeriscapes, and to nurture in the wild.

It makes a great hedge, or specimen plant. It protects our coast and holds onto the sand. You can also grow it in large pots.

Naupaka is a less thirsty plant, perfect for your xeriscape garden. It is also salt and wind tolerant.

Grow it from seeds or cuttings or buy some potted ones and support your favorite local nursery.

Strategic landscape designed naupaka hedges can protect beach homes from the strong ehukai, salty winds.

It is beautiful with its soft green leaves and half flowers which are white with a hint of purple. White fruit follow the flowers.

Beach Naupaka, Naupaka kahakai is known as Scaevola taccada to scientists.

It is an indigenous Hawaiian plant, which means it got here on its own, but it grows in other tropical areas too.

We also have native endemic species of Scaevola, Naupaka kuahiwi that inhabit our uplands. They too have a half flower, which features in Hawaiian love legends.

It is the easiest plant to care for if we keep it simple:

• Minimal water once established.

• No fertilizer.

• Keep turf grass away from the root zone.

• Minimal trimming, and only by hand.

As with many of our native Hawaiian plants, modern ‘mow blow and go’ landscape techniques do not agree with naupaka.

The worst is gas powered hedge trimmers, this will mutilate naupaka. Do minimal trimming and shaping with hand clippers or loppers.

Do not TOP naupaka. Prune carefully, and minimally and only when you are in a good mood.

Topping is where you mindlessly cut trees or plants.

The new growth is soft, and the older branches are very woody and tough.

Power equipment trimming shakes up the roots and then makes the branches grow too dense, making habitat for insect and disease pests.

Turf grass should be physically separated from the Naupaka planting area. Use a nice stone, coral, or brick edging to keep grass and naupaka separated.

Hand weed out any invading grass. Grass will compete and rob water, nutrients, light and space from the naupaka.

An edge also makes it easier to mow the lawn.

Thoughtful Landscape design and old fashioned garden maintenance will help you keep your naupaka thriving and Beautiful, as nature designed.

CRB, what we can all do to save Niu and other trees.

July 18, 2025March 27, 2026Leave a comment

By Heidi Bornhorst

Alien Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles are currently Endangering our Niu (coconut palms), native Hawaiian Loulu palms, hala, banana and more.

This is an existential threat, not only for beauty, but for life.

Without Niu we may starve.

Imagine Hawaii with no Niu.

Coconut Rhinoceros beetles (CRB) are a serious alien pest. We really need to take this problem seriously and attack / control them on all fronts.

For years, At Every Arborist and landscape conference, we were warned about these chunky hungry beetles and warned to KAPU !! keep them out of Hawaii.

CRB are Major and serious pests in other places such as Polynesia and overall world tropics.

Now they have spread from a Navy site in 2013, to the west side, devastating the north shore and Waialua. They are bad in Waimanalo.

I was at Wahiawa Botanic Garden recently and so devastated to see all of our native Loulu palms being munched and destroyed. This upland Botanic Garden has a collection of rare Loulu palms (CRB love our native Loulu palms even more than Niu or coconuts). They also attack Royal palms.

(We have the famous ET grove of Royals, on Royal palm drive in Wahiawa.)

Auwe! we stopped at Kahana state park, where the precious Niu of Mary Mikahala Robinson Foster grow tall and graceful, said to be some of the best nuts for eating and drinking.

Coconuts at Kahana state park,
attacked by CRB

I sadly observed the classic cut out fronds, characteristic of CRB feeding on new vulnerable growth. These Niu are iconic and getting munched to death, as I write this.

We need to get everyone to pay attention and help with control. Our Governor Green and Mayor need to get behind these efforts: Education and control.

Neighbor islands are getting hit with CRB too.

Know the life cycle, they spend the bulk of their life feeding on and in, rotting vegetation, compost piles and the like.

It should be on the News every night, along with other crimes affecting Hawaii.

Here are some of the immediate steps we can all take:

No mulch piles

No dead stumps

Netting

Traps with lights and netting

Public awareness and education

Government support and action

Search for Biocontrol

Education

Chemical treatment to save Coconut palms (Must label as treated, and cut off any flower and fruit on treated palms!) A high lift or skilled coconut climber is key for this.

Everybody’s dog, chickens and pigs can find and eat the grubs.

A Gourmet opportunity for an innovative local chef?

Nui/Coconut, Cocos nucifera is the Tree of life for Hawaiians, do we really appreciate and treasure Niu in Hawaii as well as we could?

Can you imagine Hawaii with no Coconuts? CRB also attack Hala, Loulu palms, banana and more.

Let’s get together and scientifically, attack this pest.

Netting all around the vulnerable crown of the palm. Netting of mulch piles. Nets with Lights

As my friend Mari Zane says Ho! Beneficial use for those illegal gill nets! (Her Loulu and Niu on the north shore were early casualties, but there is hope for the shorter ones.)

Wrap the nets around the crown. The nets will get the ones inside coming out of the bore holes, and get any on their way in.

Contemporary Landscaping, a nursery in Waimanalo, uses a low net about four feet tall, lit at night. This attracts and captures beetles.

Trapped beetles attract more beetles to the light, and a chance for more control.

Brown Cannon made a trap using a netted Hula hoop and is capturing them out in Waialua. He sets this hula hoop net (great recycling!) over a barrel of woody mulch.

We can all get smart and do our part!

Just when Hawaiian gardeners, City parks folks and landscapers were convinced to wisely use mulch, we find that mulch piles are endangering NIU.

CRB grubs love rotting vegetation and spend most of their life there.

We can have mulch piles and mulch dishes if we are akamai.

Turn the mulch frequently disrupting the grubs.

HOT mulch will help to kill them.

Turn your mulch and have animal helpers, keiki or your arborist ready to spot and capture the grubs.

(Dogs, pigs and chickens can be trained to eat the grubs of CRB)

Mulch and green waste piles are perfect habitat for these alien pests and their voracious grubs.

Hot mulch is OK: turn it and burn it!

Or spread mulch and compost thinly. Water it and look for CRB grubs.

As always water and nurture your palms, keep them as healthy as possible.

Let’s work together to protect and save this vital part of Hawaii. !!!

Miniature Forest Revolution

February 18, 2025February 19, 2025Leave a comment

The Miyawaki method

By Heidi Bornhorst

Koa trees, Loulu palms, mulch dishes Ho`omaluhia

Aloha Hawai`i Gardeners: are we ready to plant and nurture a miniature forest Revolution?

I have wanted to learn about the Miyawaki method for a while. Thanks to generous friends: Chirstine and Pokey, I got my hands on one of the books about the Miyawaki miniature forest method, and plunged in.

The book I just read is called, “Miniature Forest Revolution”, by Hannah Lewis.

Developed in Japan and now spread around the world this is a new and akamai way of forest restoration.

Dr Akira Miyawaki was a Botanist, ecologist, and researcher. He networked with others in Japan and around the world to plant mini climax forests and nurture them.

I have advocated for years, to simply plant a tree, nurture a garden, keep one plant alive, Volunteer at a garden. Go hiking, learn about our Hawaiian forest. Nurture our Hawaiian forests and learn more.

Learn about and nurture our living soils.

This is a new way to do it and is very inspiring.

Trees and forests really do heal our land. Compost really does work. Watersheds can be restored by the forest. Healthy forests of multi layers cover the soil and nourish it.

With plants covering soil and adding their leaves to the living soil mix, we have less runoff when it rains.

We like to keep soil alive and where it belongs: on Land

When soil washes into the ocean after heavy rains we have fresh water killing the reef and silt and mud smothering the reef, clouding the water and adversely affecting fish, honu and all the saltwater living life forms.

Healthy forests funnel rainwater down into the ground enhancing our water sources.

There are so many benefits.

To follow the Miyawaki method you get rid of grass and weeds and plant climax species really close together like how they occur in nature.

(Koa and `Ohi`a lehua trees are two Climax species that we do now know how to nurture and grow)

Soil preparation is key. Get rid of weeds and grass and mix in compost. Lots of compost and organic matter gets incorporated into the original soil. Drainage is also very important.

Adding mycorrhizae or native soil from a healthy forest area might be advisable.

Soil tests help determine what soil type and fertility you have.

After all this planning and preparation, the fun begins: Planting the forest.

The plant mix is trees, shrubs, ferns and ground covers, throw in some vines. A different plant mix would be suitable for various soil types, rainfall amounts and elevation. We have so many microclimates and soil types in Hawai`i.

Elevation is a very important consideration for growing native Hawaiian plants.

For example, Koa seeds collected at 5000 feet on the richly soiled flanks of Mauna loa, would probably not thrive in Kapi’olani park. It is partly soil (they do not like sandy salty soil), but even more it’s elevation. Cool night temperatures and other factors

Often lowland plants can grow at higher elevations, but high elevation plants struggle and lower, hotter elevations.

For the first few years you tend the forest, watering, and weeding. The book says you do this for three years. Maybe in Hawaii we need to tend to it longer with watering and weeding and adding to the mulch beds.

Then it can basically care for itself but it’s still good to do some nurturing.

That is what horticulture is: Close monitoring, observation, and careful tending of your plants.

Like in a natural forest, leave the leaves. They nurture the soil.

Try ASK if you like pick!

October 28, 2024Leave a comment

By Heidi Bornhorst

My tita, Mimi, was incensed when two women drove up and just helped themselves to her Plumeria flowers. This was not casual ‘one for my hair, one for my sister’s hair,’ but full on taking of a lot of blossoms, she said they even had fancy flower picking baskets!

When she confronted them, they said they thought it was ok because the tree was adjacent to the street. After a bit of discussion, they told her that if she didn’t want anyone to pick the flowers, she should put up a sign.

A few days later a neighbor she casually knew came up the street, reminded her that our mother and her grandmother had been friends and nicely asked if she could pick some flowers so she could make a lei. Mimi invited her into the yard and happily shared the pua.

She explained the ones on the inside are nicer and less sun and wind burnt. As they chatted Mimi went and picked a bag of her famous Tahitian limes to give to the neighbor.

What a difference! We love to share if asked nicely.

I remember back when we lived up Wahiawa, I heard some noises and came outside. There was a man, instructing his kid to not only pick my front flowers, but also to CUT some pink gingers.

Without thinking too much (gotta be careful these flower thieves know where you live!) Tita mode came out and I chastised the man, saying my flowers were not just randomly growing and teaching his kid to steal flowers is not pono!

On another occasion I heard some women admiring my Madeira, Portuguese roses, they were so nice that I carefully clipped them a bouquet, and shared propagation advice. We all became friends because they asked nicely when admiring my flowers.

Gardeners and Horticulturists love to share and talk story with fellow plant lovers.

One thing I always knew, which was reinforced when I worked at Foster Botanic Gardens and Honolulu Botanical gardens, is to share plants and to keep records of garden specimens.

With good records if you lose a plant, your plant friends or cooperating botanic garden will have backup. It can be as simple as a note on a calendar, or full on in your garden diary.

ASHS coming to Honolulu!

September 17, 2024September 26, 2024Leave a comment

By Heidi Bornhorst

A prestigious Horticulture group is coming to Hawaii for a weeklong conference.

The American Society for Horticulture Science will be here on Oahu for a week long conference beginning Monday September 23, 2024, closing on Friday September 27.

Over one thousand attendees are signed up and registration is still open. (1067) at last count.

This is great for Hawaii gardeners, Horticulturists, Botanists, and plant scientists.

The conference will be held at the Hilton HawaiianVillage hotel, right on the beach in beautiful Waikiki.

Renowned for its extensive gardens, featuring many native Hawaiian plants, along with canoe plants and tropical exotics, it is a great venue for these plant loving scientists to enjoy.

The Hilton is also right next to the Hale Koa Hotel (where I served for over 10 years as Landscape Director).

The extensive landscaped grounds of the Hale Koa were designed as a botanical garden and the plantings there are very impressive and worth a stroll.

There are many wonderful gardens in Waikiki, amidst all of the hotels and high-rises.

I was very honored to be invited to be the keynote speaker for this conference and I plan to be talking about my favorite: Growing native Hawaiian plants.

There are over one thousand native Hawaiian plant species, and we now are growing about 100 of these Hawaiian plant species. We can grow more!

We have 1367 native Hawaiian plant species. Over 90% of them are endemic, meaning they only grow naturally here in Hawaii. About 9% of them are extinct, and many are rare and endangered.

Some are common and easy to grow, and we see them all around. Examples are: Hala, beach naupaka, `ilima, Hapu`u or Hawaiian tree ferns, and Kou and Milo trees.

Other native plants are less common in our gardens and landscape, but horticulturists are working to change that.

My friend, Dr. Mike Opgenorth, who is the Director of Kahanu Botanic Garden in Hana, Maui will be speaking on Thursday about his PhD work on our endangered native Hawaiian Gardenias

Many more students and graduate student at the U.H. are studying how to grow and perpetuate native Hawaiian plants.

The landscape or “Green industry” here in Hawaii is doing the groundwork with native plants.

Home gardens now feature native Hawaiian plants especially those loved by lei makers such as `Ohi`a lehua, `ilima, Palapalai and Pala`a ferns, and our native fragrant Hawaiian white Hibiscus, Koki`o ke`o ke`o.

Our public parks and urban forests are growing more native plants too.

Let’s learn and grow more, let’s perpetuate our native Hawaiian plants together.

https://ashs.org/page/ASHSAnnualConference

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