Category: garden

Naupaka

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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.

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By Heidi Bornhorst

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

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

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. 


 Coconuts at Kahana state park,
attacked by CRB

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


 Coconuts at Kahana state park,
attacked by CRB

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. !!!

Try ASK if you like pick!

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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!

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By Heidi Bornhorst 

Heidi Bornhorst Keynote Speaker

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

Variegated Hala tree. Pandanus. Growing happily at the Hale Koa hotel.

What will Wild West winds bring? More flowers and fruit?

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By Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst

We had such a weird windstorm with those super strong and gusty west winds! So different then normal.

Up in our valley we lost power twice to the wind and HECO did not restore power until 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday 3/8/2023.

Mangoes and avocados were full of blossoms, Honohono orchids were in bud and some in bloom.

My Portuguese Madeira roses, and native Hawaiian gardenia Na`u have been blooming well, loving the cool and rainy winter were are finally having.

As I clean up the storm debris, (Mahalo for nature’s Arboriculture) including blown down dead twigs and branches, and lots of leaves, some I notice are from my mauka neighbors.

One of the tenets of true Horticulture is to OBSERVE nature and plants, to track the moon, winds, rain and other weather phenomena as see how the plants respond.

I am still reflecting on how the plants would respond.

What do you see? How are your plants after the winds?

Did you have any big tree failures? Or just small or dead branches?

The leaves are whipped on my gingers, Surinam cherries, mulberries, and ohia shed a few flowering branches. A young popolo plant got totally blasted on one side, it was just coming into fruit.

So, we shall see!

Honohono orchids had been in full glorious fragrant bloom as they budded and bloomed early this year. Originally I thought the orchids stood the wind storm but after a few days those in the main wind tunnel area of my garden wilted and withered prematurely.

Went to a neighborhood watch potluck pa`ina and a nice lady, Lokelani, that I always say hi to on my walks was there, with a gorgeous papale lauhala. She admired my honohono and said she caught a whiff of fragrance, from way across the yard, and she looked for the source of this favorite old time Hawaii fragrance, and from where? My hair!

Since she admired the orchids, I had to give them to her, along with maire ferns!

Now a couple weeks after the winds, I’m observing some of my favorite flowers and fruit trees in my garden and neighborhood:

• ‘Ohi’a lehua  Blooming profusely, some dead wood branches and twigs broke in the winds

• Native White Hibiscus wind whipped leaves, a few blooms at the very top of the tree

• Tahitian mountain apples were blooming before, still many flowers and now small fruit.

• Gardenias surprise early blooms two on one stem, but no other apparent buds yet. (they usually bloom for me in May).

• Na`u, native Hawaiian Gardenia lots of flowers and buds (also triggered by abundant soft rains before the winds)

• Madeira roses Blooming profusely.

• Mangoes my Friend Dawn Shim from Makakilo brought me a gift of Haden mangoes, super early for this to fruit.

• Mulberries wind whipped leaves, lots of young fruit

• Pua Keni keni usually Bloom less in winter, BUT after the storm mine are full of Buds, flowers and lots of developing green “ball” fruit.  I made some lei for a fundraiser, and plucked and cut off all the young fruit, to encourage more blooms from the tree 

What are YOU observing, in your garden in your unique microclimate? I would love to hear back from my Gardening Readers …..

Arbor Day 2022, Brachychiton acerifolium, Illawarra Flame Trees

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By Heid Bornhorst

Heidibornhorst.blog

After three years of lockdown, we are finally, Happily, able to celebrate Arbor Day in Kapi`olani Park once again.

On Saturday November 19, 2022, we will gather with ScenicHawaii, Inc., Kapi`olani Park Preservation society, some Dedicated City tree workers and Arborists, Volunteers, and all of us who love and cherish trees and our Park.

We will be planting and ceremonially mulching four new trees courtesy of the Division of UrbanForestry led by Certified Arborist Brandon Au and DUF/ City and County of Honolulu Parks Department.

Citizen Forester Emily Perry will be representing our busy parks director Laura Thielen.

The trees are drought tolerant and are native to coastal subtropical forests of Australia.

The common name is FLAME Tree, or Illawarra Flame tree. Also called the lacebark tree.

One thing our mentor Paul Weissich, Director Emeritus of the Honolulu BotanicalGardens taught us, is to look beyond flowers when you view trees.

What does the bark look like? How is the truck shaped? What is the growth pattern? What kind of shade pattern does it adorn the ground with? What are the leaves like? Are they good for mulch and soil nurturing? For Keiki art projects?

As we Arborists say, “Touch trees”. Place your hand on the trunk and look UP! What do you see, in the Tree Canopy? I love doing this with keiki of all ages!

When we plant a tree, we are investing in, and finding out about the future. This small tree, grown from a tiny seed and planted today. What will it grow into in the Future?

We can read about the size and growth habits in a book, but how big will it really get here in Hawaii? Will it grow big and strong with proper nurturing and akami tree maintenance?

Will it withstand the abuse that trees sometimes take in public park spaces? Will most people be happy and respect the growing young trees? We sure hope so! Trees ensure a healthy, happy future for all of us.

Known in Scientific Latin as Brachychitonacerifolium, the Illawarra Flame trees are in the Sterculiaceae plant family.

We don’t have many of these trees in Hawaii.  A few grow at Foster and Ho’omaluhia Botanical gardens. These were grown from seed by the Horticulturist and Plant propagators at Foster Botanical Garden.

They are particularly striking when in bloom,with bright red orange or scarlet flowers. The flowers look like a hanging red bell when viewed from the side. If you look directly at them, they look like stars.

The leaves are shaped like a kukui leaf, or a mainland maple tree leaf.  This is what the species name acerifolium means.  Acer is the Latin name for Maple, and folium as you might guess is referring to the foliage or leaves, maple shaped leaves.

The trees will grow up and into a pyramid shapewith a tall, greenish grey, smooth round shapedtrunk. In time they can grow up to about 100feet tall (30 – 35 meters). They are a popular street tree in Australia and around the subtropical world.

The seeds of Brachychiton species are edible. But like many plants in the sterculia family they have irritating hairs, which must be removed or carefully removed to get to the edible seeds. Native Australians ate them raw or roasted. They are nutritious, containing 18% protein and 25% fat with high levels of zinc and magnesium.

There are uses for this tree in its native Australia. Fiber is made from the bark and a kind of gum can be extracted. The wood is soft but dries hard. Shingles, among other things, are made from the wood. The roots of young trees are edible, but let’s not do this in our park!

A related tree, Brachychiton rupestris is called the bottle tree.  It grows a big fat water retaining trunk over time, somewhat like the Baobab tree from Africa.

Mahalo to Wikipedia for some of this info, I also referred to our old standard book: In Gardens of Hawaii, by Marie C. Neal.

Tuberoses for our friendship garden

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By Heidi Bornhorst

The fragrance of tuberose! One of my Mother’s favorites, as a lei of tuberose and yellow roses are what my dad got her for their simple wedding ceremony. She also loved the smell of pineapple, because my dad gifted her with those too!

I like them in a lei, combined with other flowers like roses, carnations or orchids.

Florists carry this fragrant lei and if you grow your own, imagine what flowers from your garden you can combine with tuberose?

It’s an old-fashioned flower.

We used to grow a lot of them here in Hawaii. When I worked at Evergreen nurseries in Waimanalo, in 1978, one of my friends there, was working a second job, harvesting tuberose.

Her name was Estralita, and she was from the PI and recently married.  I think her new family really made her work hard!  At two jobs and at home.  She said they harvested in the dark using headlamps.

She told me that her named meant “star” and how appropriate that she worked at night when the stars came out!

She taught me the saying ‘Mabuhay las Philippinas !!’  Long life to Filipino women!

I wonder what happened to her, as she was kind, nice FUN and hardworking.

Tuberoses remind me of her, and I say a special prayer for her happiness. 

I got some from Estralita back then and grew it in our family garden in Makiki.  It did well for a while and even sent up a flower spike.  But then it got a very bad infestation of mealy bugs.  I treated it but they were too severe, and the plant died. I was sad.

Maybe tuberose does not like Makiki black sand as a potting media? Or it needs cooler conditions. Time to do some research and find out!

​The other day I got an email from my friend Ruth Fujita, another great gardener.

She was offering us, her Budleys, tuberose bulbs. She had a big plant and dug it up, dried out the bulbs a bit and had some to share with da girls.

So, Rachel Morton and I went up there, after a visit to Foster garden to see the Triennial art exhibit.

Ruth shared how she got the tuberose bulbs:

Our niece Tia C. had gone traveling.  She needed omiyage for her epic Aunt Ruth and so in the airport she bought a bulb in a package.

Ruth grew them and was now sharing them with Lynne, Cheryl, Doris Susan Young, Annie, and me and Rachel.

Such an epitome of the Friendship Garden: Grow something with love (and good horticulture!) and then share it with your friends.

With rare plants, this is a Botanic Gardenconcept: Share it and keep good records. If yours dies, you know right where you can get a replacement.

With plants of sentiment like this tuberose, its mainly sharing the wealth and the stories.  But it will be epic for us all to see them grow and Bloom!

People call it a bulb but the roots are actually a rhizome (just like our fragrant gingers)

Fragrant, showy flowers in the late, HOT summertime lead many to plant tuberose bulbs. The scientific name is Polianthes tuberosa, and it also called the Polyanthus lily. It is in the Lily family, LILIACEAE.

Florists and nurseries sometimes “force” tuberose to bloom year round with artificial lighting.  

Tuberose has a strong and enticing fragrance makes it a popular plant in our Hawaii gardens. Clusters of large white blooms form on stalks that can reach 4 feet (1 m.) in height and rise from grass-like clumps.

Tuberose was discovered by explorers in Mexico as early as the 1500’s.  It was one of the first flowers to be imported to Europe, where it was very popular in Spain. 

It likes well drained, compost enriched soil.  It likes FULL SUN especially hot afternoon sun (which not all plants do) 

Plant them 2-3” deep.

In cold regions they dig out the roots in winter.  In Hawaii we can dig them out hand let them rest but not for too long or they will dry out.

There are single and double flowered varieties and now we are seeing them in different colors like yellow and pale pink.

Pandan Wangi

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By Heidi Bornhorst

Pandanus amaryllifolius
Working at the Honolulu Zoo, we were helping move and relocate plants for the community gardens from behind the zoo on Paki, to a new garden on Leahi and Paki.  As we were helping the (unhappy) gardeners, I heard Victorino Acorda, one of our best Gardeners and true plantsman exclaim in delight!
‘Pandan wangi!  Makes the rice taste so good Heidi!  I’ve been looking for this plant since I moved here from the PI!’
He was almost crying; he was so happy!
Then the other day I was stuck in morning traffic on Mo`oheau St in Kapahulu.  To amuse myself I looked closely at gardens along the street.  There was a really nice garden with a southeast Asia flavor.  First, I noticed nice clumps of lemon grass and some healthy papaya trees.
What was the clumping bright green plant in front of the lemon grass?  PANDAN WANGI!


So attractive in this landscape design and so useful.
We have it growing in the southeast Asian plant section at Ho’omaluhia Botanic Garden.  One year it was a featured plant at our plant sale, and we hope to feature it again once we can open up our gardens safely once again.
It is fairly easy to grow.  You can divide the clump and make new plants.  
 

Those who know this plant usually just call it pandan. There are many ways you can cook with it.
Some call Pandan, the Vanilla of the east, or the vanilla of Southeast Asia.
You can boil with whole leaves and combine them with other ingredients.  You can wrap foods in them and then cook them (like we do with Ti leaves).
If you’re handy with your blender, grind some fresh leaves with water and then freeze the juice in a mold or ice cube tray and use it for drinking or cooking later.
You could also add it to GREEN SMOOTHIES
Some just buy a bottle of pandan paste.  Lexi had some from Singapore, she had it quite a while I smelled it and then read the label.  It smelled really ono. The ingredients not so much.
How do we make it from the fresh leaves that we can grow in our Gardens?
You can just chop it up and add to the rice pot as you cook your rice.
You can make tea with the leaves. You can add your favorite tea like jasmine to the pot.  Pour hot water over both and let steep for Five minutes.
I made some with just hot water, poured over and steeped over leaves. it tasted ok
On 9 28 21 trying strip leaves lengthwise in 3s, add Olena and ginger powders, and three mamaki leaves, bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or so. It Smells really good!
There are lots of Creative and Foodie things you can do with pandan:
• Twist the leaves into Roses like we do with Ti leaves
• Little cups for deserts
• You can make green smoothies with it
• Pandan Chicken and Pandan Rice
• Grilled Fish stuffed with Pandan are just a few recipes that are popular.
And many desserts, variously featuring coconut milk, and various sugars like palm sugar.
If you look online there are lots of recipes, some quite layered and complex.  Some really pretty drinks and you insert a leaf tip to give it that final Flare of Gourmet Drink décor.
It gives the dish a lovely green color and subtle flavor.
I took some in mixed arrangement as a hostess gift for Lexi Hada and Barney Robinson.  One of their guests, Teua from the Cook Islands admired it, drew it out of the arrangement and sniffed it.
As he ran his hands over the glossy thornless leaves, we talked about it.  He recognized it as a Pandanus, or HALA relative but NO THORNS! We all wondered how it would be for weaving.
The Latin name, Pandanus amaryllifolius refers to this. The growth is much like a hala, but the leaves are soft and shiny with no thorns.
Besides being ONO, it’s a very attractive garden accent or spotlight plant in your garden.
I also like it as an exciting and exotic foliage element in a Tropical Flower arrangement.
We plan to feature it at a Future Covid 19 safe FOHBG plant sale.