With the weather finally cooling, folks are getting into fall planting projects. Some great opportunities start today at Panaewa Zoo.
With the weather finally cooling, folks are getting into fall planting projects. Some great opportunities start today at Panaewa Zoo.
The Hawaii Chapter of the Vireya Rhododendron Society is having a workshop from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The public is invited, and according to Sherla Bertelmann, participants will receive free vireya plants to try in their gardens. The society also will have its monthly meeting from noon-2 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Keeau Community Center. It is potluck, so bring your favorite dish to share. The guest speaker is Glen Jamieson, who will speak about rhododendrons of Vancouver Island and New Zealand. Contact president Bill Miller at 982-8290 for details.
Next weekend starts off with a super plant sale from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 24) at the Old Kona Airport. The event will spark your imagination with bamboos, orchids, succulents, fruit trees and many others.
Priced to sell fast, you might even find plants to share with friends and relatives during the upcoming holidays.
According to Peter Berg of Quindembo Nursery, there will be six nurseries participating. He mentioned there will be many bamboos ideal for hedges, privacy screens, edible types and for those folks with enough room, giant construction bamboos.
For those interested in growing traditional Chinese tea, TOTUS, Tea of the United States will present the “Community Tea In” from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus on Old Volcano Road. For more information, call 967-8222 or Eva Lee at 217-5411.
The 17th annual Kona Coffee Festival is coming up, with the Kona Coffee Stroll from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 7 in Holualoa. Local farmers will set up booths and offer coffee tastings all day. All the galleries will open their doors and add to the fun atmosphere. Come hungry because there will be plenty of food vendors offering almost any yummy delights you desire. Of course, there also will be numerous local craft artisans there. For information, call Anita Kelleher at (305) 394-2248.
The Hawaii Island Palm Society is organizing a palm tree giveaway of native Pritchardia palms from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 7 at the small pavilion at the entrance to the Panaewa Zoo. In addition to the palm seedlings, society members also will be passing out a pamphlet about Hawaii’s only native palm genus and a care sheet. Call Mary at 430-0401 for more information.
With Arbor Day just around the corner, it’s a great opportunity to plant trees. Visiting equatorial forest regions around the world, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of deforestation even in the Amazon. It seems like trees are disappearing even here in Hawaii, right before our eyes.
Let’s change the trend. If each one of us planted just one tree this year, that would be almost 200,000 new trees on the Big Island.
The new widening of Queen Kaahumanu in Kona will give us the opportunity to beautify the drive from Kona Airport into Kailua. Rumor has it the state is planning to use drought resistant natives such as Kona loulu palms to beautify some parts of the median strip.
Trees to consider planting include narra and kamani. Narra, Pterocarpus indica, is a large tree that grows to 50 feet high. Seedlings should be planted in the open in deep, well-drained but moist soil. Narra does not tolerate shade. When grown slowly, this species has a deep red or purplish color to its heartwood. Faster growth results in a golden brown color.
The wood of narra is scented, and occasionally is marketed under the name rosewood. Narra is noted for its ability to take a high polish, and it is in highest demand throughout the Philippines for furniture production. The wood is very durable and resistant to termites and powder post beetles. It is hard, and seasons well, yet is easy to work.
The crown of narra normally is broad, spreading and heavily branched like the monkey pod tree. The density of its foliage makes narra a popular ornamental choice in many parts of the world. It also is used as a shade tree for coffee and other crops.
Kamani, Calophyllum inophyllum, is a handsome, low-branching, more or less crooked or leaning tree that grows to 50 feet tall, with rough gray bark. It is native on the shores of the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. It is slow to moderate growing. The white flowers suggest orange blossoms and are very fragrant when fresh. The hard, tough wood is valued in tropical Asia for cabinet wood and boats, and formerly in Hawaii for calabashes.
Some other trees available are the bay rum, kou, milo and Norfolk pine.
The bay rum, Pimenta racemosa, is from the West Indies and Northern South America. The fruit is about 1/3-inch in diameter. The leaves yield an oil from which perfume and bay rum are prepared. This is a medium-sized, slow-growing tree that will do well in a drier climate with good drainage.
The kou, Cordia subcordata, is indigenous or possibly an early Polynesian introduction. This tree grows to 30 feet or more in height and 3 feet in diameter, with a dense, wide spreading crown. The flowers are orange colored and the wood has good qualities and workability. This tree never became part of a large forest stand in Hawaii. It often is planted for shade, and this tree probably prefers a drier climate. It appears to tolerate some salt spray.
Milo, Tespesia populnea, also is indigenous or possibly an early Polynesian introduction. It is not a forest tree but grown, quite often, as a shade tree around houses. Many small groves can be found near beaches. It is a large sprawling, many-branched tree. It grows to 40 feet in height. The wood has good characteristics. It has low shrinkage, is easy to work with, takes a high polish and is highly prized by bowl makers.
The Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria excelsa, is a handsome, columnar, cone-shaped tree with flat lateral branches in whorls spaced at regular intervals. Growth is rapid for the first three to four years. It responds to heavy fertilization when grown in poor soil. This species does very well up to 3,000 feet elevation. It is drought resistant and salt tolerant. It can be planted by itself or as a windbreak row, spaced 10 to 15 feet apart in and between rows. Propagation is by seed or terminal cuttings. This tree can grow up to 100 feet tall and spread to 30 feet wide, so make sure you have plenty of room. It is used as a Christmas tree in Hawaii.
For trees in scale with the smaller gardens, visit our local nurseries. There are many spectacular native and exotic trees from which to choose.
Remember, when it comes to protecting the world’s forests, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
This information is supplied as a service of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.