The Hawaii Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is inviting all folks interested in learning how to grow tropical rhododendrons to its Sunday, Nov. 16, meeting at the Keaau Community Center. The meeting starts with a potluck lunch at noon.
The Hawaii Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is inviting all folks interested in learning how to grow tropical rhododendrons to its Sunday, Nov. 16, meeting at the Keaau Community Center. The meeting starts with a potluck lunch at noon.
Sherla Bertelmann will give a talk on hybridization and registration of new varieities at 1 p.m. To encourage interest in tropical Vireya rhododendrons, each newcomer will be given a plant to take home. It is guaranteed that you will fall in love with this unusual group of plants if you haven’t already. Folks in the society are always coming up with new hybrids. According to Sherla, two new Australian hybrids will be registered this year. They are Sunset Gold 50 and Coral Sea.
It is uncommon to find Vireyas at our local nurseries, so by getting involved in the local chapter, you can obtain all kinds of new ones to enjoy.
Vireyas come from tropical Southeast Asia and are well known for their beautiful flowers that may very in size from half an inch to five inches across. Some are fragrant. Colors vary from white, yellow pink and red. Like hibiscus, each flower may be multicolored. The plants vary from shrubs to small trees and grow in a variety of environments. Some species grow in well drained soils and others will grow as epiphytes along with orchids. Some are lithophytes. That is, they grow on rocks with mosses and ferns. In Hawaii, they are well suited for our porous rocky lava soils with high humidity and rainfall. A good opportunity to see some major plantings is to visit the Panaewa zoo in Hilo. The society members have planted a beautiful display garden there.
One of the main goals of the Rhododendron Society is to protect endangered species, since so many come from fast disappearing rainforests and cloud forests.
With climate change and pressures of human population, even the vast forests of New Guinea, Borneo, peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as well as the Himalayas, are being lost. By growing Vireyas in our gardens, we are helping to save them from extinction. Another advantage is that they are very easy to grow as long as you give them good soil drainage. There are some tricks to help them do their best, but these are easily learned from other Vireya lovers!
For further information on the meeting and the society, call President Bill Miller at 982-8290. Their website is www.HawaiiVireyaARS.org.
I first fell in love with this amazing group of plants while climbing Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo. We were at about 7,000 feet in elevation as the sun was about to set. The forest was ablaze in bloom with oranges and reds of Vireyas growing as epiphytes on the gigantic ancient trees of the mountain. It has only been recently that I have seen the gardens of some of the society members who have incorporated Vireyas into their landscape design. The riot of colors added to the lush gardens of East Hawaii and mauka West Hawaii is every bit as beautiful as one can see in the natural habitat of this amazing plant family.
The weekly Tropical Gardening column is provided by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
