Train Time and Playland at the Conservatory

I just love trains….

 

I always come back to the conservatory of flowers during the holiday’s so I could visit the holiday train exhibit – its one of the pleasures of visiting San Francisco during the holidays. Isn’t is a great combination to have play trains and plants all under one roof?

I love that they used a lot of natural materials, mosses and live plants, even the structures are repurposed materials used to create the famous landmarks around the park and at the long gone Playland at Ocean Beach.

 

 

This years exhibit was geared towards the old Playland which originally was along the ocean front of San Francisco and had its heyday during the forties and fifties and ran all the way to the early 1970’s. The exhibit was a lot of fun seeing recreated parts of the ocean front and the huge cliff house along the edge of the cliffs.

 

A close up detail of the many trollies from the city going to Playland.

 

 

The ornate Cliff house, hugging the cliffs of the city and facing the expansive ocean beach into Playland. I love the miniature plants chosen to fit the sizing with the buildings and landscapes, here a variety of herbs, miniature evergreens, california natives and large tropical plants in the background used just for texture. Even the wonderful moss covering the fake earthen hillsides add realistic touches to this scene.

 

 

I never saw the large victorian Cliff House here, I think it burned down in 1907, just one year after the great earthquake of 1906. It must have been the place to visit while in San Francisco back then. The adjoining Sutro Baths were a popular destination point for locals and tourists alike.

 

 

As usual the place is packed with children coming to see the train exhibits and jostling to have fun at the toys and props that they can play and climb on.

 

 

How do you make this go, I’m sure this kid is wondering?

 

 

I love these special exhibits and am fortunate to see this when I visit during the holiday’s. Hope you enjoyed the visit also!

The Conservatory of Flowers

During the holiday, when I’m visiting family in San Francisco, I always make it a habit to drop by the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate park to see the seasonal displays and some of my favorite sections of the complex like the grand entry pavilion with its amazing glass entry (and it’s a nice toasty 80 degrees indoors)






I love seeing the new plantings that they change regularly. I couldn’t find a name plate for this gorgeous specimen – I’m guessing it might be some type of calathea or player plants native to the tropical Americas. Isn't the flower just dazzling, the scent is lightly flowered like a ginger.







Above, I spot the huge inflorescence from the bromeliad below is quite spectacular. I’m not familiar with this bromeliad, but it was quite a show-stopper.







Another exotic bloom, I could not locate the name plate for. I’m assuming it’s the spadix of an anthurium plant which I couldn’t even see in the thick jungle above






I love this fountain and the plants surrounding this huge stone pot. The vignettes of beautiful ferns, moss, little pink tillandsias (another guess), orchids and other miniature tropicals.







Its cymbidium season and the conservatory was filled with all different colors of my favorite orchids. Here, huge sprays of giant yellow spikes create a beautiful vignette in a quiet corner.












I enjoyed visiting and staying warm inside instead of being outdoors where it’s a brisk 39 degrees and cold grey skies. Its always nice to get a slice of paradise then the weather outside is the opposite.  What do you think, wasn’t this a great visit to the conservatory on such a cold day in the park?

A Walk Through the Jungle

 

Deep into the wild and thick forests at Waa Waa, an unruly and almost untamed part of East Hawaii.  Even the roadway to this wilderness is pock-marked with deep potholes, water filled ponds collect everywhere and make it almost impossible to move along the muddy dirt road especially after a heavy rain.

It feels very magical here, like time has stood still for a very long time and you can almost imagine dinosaurs from a very long time ago actually living in this Jurassic Park like zone, even though that only happens in movies.

 

 

Amazing plants abound and grow way up in the tree canopy including this wild birds nest fern (Asplenium nidus), the leaves growing over five to six feet in length alone. I wish some were closer to the ground for me to bring back a plant for my garden, but these plants live way up in the trees hard for the plant collectors to reach.

 

Here is a longer shot of the fern high above the forest canopy and magically

it up by the shaft of light illuminating its beautiful leaves.

 

Large limbs or aerial roots drape from these large trees and are very solid as you can see

from a friend swinging here to test the strong roots.

 

 

 

Eventually we make it to the clearing at the end were deafening sounds of the ocean crashing

can be heard…we see the huge waves battering the coastline and throwing huge boulders onto the rough shoreline.  I took a shot of this imaginary piece symbol with the two rocks lit up the waves in the background.

 

 

This huge arch at the end of the rocky beach is the highlight of the hike, the waves are fierce and hurling huge sprays along the shoreline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a wonderful and short hike, I’m glad this area is rarely traveled except for those who live in this area.

 

All the Decorations are Set…..

 

Its sad that we have to import Christmas trees from Washington and Oregon to get our holiday trees here in Hawaii. I’ve always been the opposite of having to cut down live trees and prop them up as decoration – although I do love xmas decorations during the holiday season.

 

 

Living in Hawaii means having to be resourceful and believe it or not we do have or own version of the Christmas pine tree called the Norfolk or cook island pine known also as Araucaria heterophylla.  These trees originate from Norfolk Island and it grows very well in all tropical areas. In Hawaii outside of Christmas trees and landscaping the wood is extensively used by local craftspeople for making a variety of utilitarian and decorative items for the tourist trade.

 

Hoping to find some live potted plants that I could use and then eventually plant in my garden, I decided to go out and look for an actual tree farm.

 

Not a good day for getting a christmas tree, there was a major tropical storm going on the entire week – it was a better day to spend indoors.  I wasn’t deterred and pressed to to finding some live plants. Just outside of Pahoa town is a grower that grows many types of tropicals (mostly anthuriums and orchids and I did buy quite a few wholesale) and these beautiful trees are actually cut down for anyone that wants a large tree. I find out later from the stumps new trees can grow back to full size in under four years which is just amazing.

 

 

 

These pines can get really large, some growing over forty feet plus – a little to big for my small house.

 

Okay the rain was really dumping buckets at this point….and I mean buckets, so I run into one of the shade houses for cover and find the potted trees that are for sale….lets see which ones are talking to me to take home today.

 

 

Since they are still small and in gallon containers that are practically cemented to the ground through their unrelenting tap roots. it took quite an effort to pull the plant roots out that suckered through the containers and through the ground shade cloth – didn’t think it would be just as difficult as cutting a tree.

 

I end up purchasing three trees for $8 each, one Charlie Brown tree and two short and stout versions, here’s the Charlie Brown tree finally decorated below.

 

 

Here’s the shorter and stocky version that I transplanted into a five gallon container. I’ll keep this one potted and hopefully use again for next year so everyone can see the growth. (although these do not grow as aggressively in contained pots unlike the planted versions).

 

 

Here’s the collection of anthuriums I picked up from the grower, it’s the center piece of

the table top display.

 

 

The anthuriums again and ferns decorating the chandelier with red christmas ornaments.

 

 

Its been fun getting back into the Christmas spirit and I’m glad I was able to use local trees and various ferns, orchids and greenery from my garden to complete the holiday look…now on to the festivities.

 

Have a safe and wonderful Christmas, thank you for following my plant fanatic blog and Happy New Year and gardening to all.

Shopping with a Mission

 

 

 

On an island where we import over 90% of our products, its helpful to shop locally and buy local products whenever they are available. Luckily we do have an abundance of produce to supply our island and all the other Hawaiian Islands.

Christmas Parade Time in Pahoa

To say that this is a totally zany parade is an understatement. Welcome to the Pahoa Christmas parade in East Hawaii, where you wont find the typical types of floats, people and Christmas cheer everywhere else.

 

Here, we celebrate the unique, crazy and fun that happens to everyone in this neck of the woods and the parade, really manifests the entire spirit of this community.

 

Don’t you think this is different?

I always love antique cars, especially when they are dressed in beautiful

flowers

 

 

 

Look even Aunty Claus’ sister made a guest appearance today!

 

 

I think this little tot, was going for the best float award in the parade, what a cutie!

 

 

Plenty of free hugs to go around today from the teletubbies.

 

 

 

Whats a parade without our local ukelele marching players?

 

 

one of my favorite troups, Da Puna Wieners all dressed up…

I’m dressed up and still looking for my treat, have you seen it?

 

 

Roller derby is hot in East Hawaii, these are the champion Hilo derby girls.

 

 

Past USO performer and still going strong, doing it for the Toys for tots drive, way to

go!

 

 

 

Horses and tinsel, whats not to like?

 

 

Chicken man is a well known attraction here in Pahoa town…want to buy a souvenir

chicken?

Our local circus group, does a very colorful show with unicycles, twirlers and sweet kids.

 

Our local version of santa on a sleigh, here he comes in a Big Yellow truck, courtesy of our

local fire department.

 

 

That’s the Parade at Pahoa, hope you enjoyed the whole show, it was another

special parade for participants and marchers alike.