Posted on: Friday, November 30, 2007
Holidays a great time for white blossoms
By Heidi Bornhorst
|
|
|
Plumeria pudica and the native Hawaiian white hibiscus, koki'o ke'o ke'o (Hibiscus waimeae), are some bright white for winter decor flowers and flowering potted plants for our holiday decor and gift-giving.
|
|
 |
|
|
GARDEN VARIETY
Among this season's many holiday plant and craft fairs is Foster Botanical Garden's, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. The event will include a variety of native Hawaiian and nursery-grown plants, garden art and gifts, and there will be wreath classes, music and more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even though it gets dark early, they can make your garden glow
As we were admiring the near-full moon after our Thanksgiving pa'ina, our 'ohana was enjoying the shiny leaves and fragrant white flowers of my parents' garden, with alahe'e, white lehua haole, tiare and crown flowers.
The lychee, which never fruits anymore (too hot in the winter), sure had pretty, shimmery leaves. My tita wanted to chop it, my dad wanted it to bear fruit, my mom thought it was pretty — and I got the inspiration for this column.
We all work late, get stuck in gnarly traffic and sometimes don't see our gardens until it's dark, especially during Hawai'i's long winters when it gets dark so early. So let's make our gardens more night-friendly.
Here are some alternative bright, shiny, white, rare Hawaiian garden gems for your home and garden which could also make great holiday gifts:
Alahe'e: Years ago, we planted a small Hawaiian alahe'e (which translates to "slippery fragrance"). This once-rare garden gem is in the gardenia family, and it has a white trunk, glossy green leaves and clusters of white, lightly perfumed, small blossoms.
Na'u is a native Hawaiian gardenia, known as Gardenia brighamii (we call it na'u or nanu). Once on the brink of extinction, it has been saved by horticulture. It has a flower that almost looks like tiare, the Tahitian gardenia, but its fragrance is different, the flowers last longer, and it opens up into a smaller blossom than its Tahitian cousin. I grew mine from a tiny cutting about six years ago. I've noticed that it blooms a lot in winter, and as the full moon waxes, you get even more flowers. On Thanksgiving eve, I picked 21 blossoms from one plant to share with family and friends. Pick it as a bud, put in a vase, and the uniquely perfumed pua will last for several days.
Koki'o ke'o ke'o, a native Hawaiian white fragrant hibiscus, is a two-day flower and is unique in the hibiscus world because it is also fragrant. There are several Hawaiian species, native to Kaua'i, O'ahu and Moloka'i. My favorites are from Kaua'i: Hibiscus waimeae and H. waimeae, variety Hannerae. The latter almost went extinct, but due to efforts of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, it was saved and now grows happily in many of our gardens. The flowers are miniature, white with pink stamens, and hauntingly fragrant.
White poinsettia, or Euphorbia leucocephala, has many other names such as snow on the mountain, flor de niño, pascuita and puno-puno. It is related to the red poinsettia, and both are native to Mexico. It is fragrant with clusters of tiny white flowers, which end up looking like a ball of snow in the garden. You can grow it from seed or buy a blooming potted plant, then grow it in a pot, or as a large shrub in your garden. I got mine from my neighbor, Mrs. Horikawa. We just saw some in Wahiawa that were more than 8 feet tall. Magnificent emblems of the season!
Plumeria pudica is a species of plumeria with pure white flowers. The leaves are shiny with extra lobes. They have a unique look, and they bloom in winter, in a pot! It is a less-thirsty or xeriphytic plant, which will be sold at Foster Botanical Garden tomorrow (see box).
White lehua haole, or Calliandra, from Brazil, has a full, round, perfect "earmuff" of a pom-pom blossom. Its soft flowers come in red, white and pink, and can be easily confused with native Hawaiian 'ohi'a lehua.
Cheerful white plants brighten the indoors, too. As you are thinking of gifts this holiday season, go beyond Christmas red and think white, such as a white orchid. A simple dendrobium is plentiful and affordable. Phaleonopsis or butterfly orchids last a long time, and some early ones may be found in November and December.
Spathiphyllum or peace lily is the epitome of an indoor plant with its fragrant white anthurium-like flowers and glossy green leaves.
Ask for them in your favorite nursery, or one of the many holiday plant/craft/benefit sales.
Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Send questions to: Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com. Letters may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
| | |
|
|
