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.

When it Rains in Hawaii -The Waterfalls are Amazing

 

With the almost non-stop days of rain in East Hawaii, the plants around paradise are happy.

 

Even with the constant rain, its easy to be outside to do errands and still enjoy the day. Driving to a party at Honomu town, I decided to stop and visit the beautiful waterfalls at Akaka Falls. The falls should be amazing now with the rush of waters coming down from the higher elevations of Mauna Kea into the canyon gulches below before they flow into the Pacific ocean.

 

 

Wasn’t I right?  Its is amazing to see this - sometimes you just need to take a

break from the everyday routines to enjoy the moment and nature around you.

Especially when it puts on such a spectacular display. 

Texture and Pattern

Its amazing that I can participate with  three memes to celebrate beautiful plants. I'm starting with Garden Bloom day,  Texture and pattern with Garden Walk Garden talk and foliage follow up.


I’m excited to present some beautiful flowers and plants that show those qualities including this beautiful collection below of red colored plants including crotons, ti, bromeliads and tillandsias. A beautiful combination of swirling patterned leaves of the croton, small pointed and feather like leave of the ti plant and the rounded and also sharp leaves of the smaller bromeliads below.





I went on a beautiful photo field trip with some other photo friends and visited the home of this inspiring landscape architect in Hawaii, it was really an exciting plant excursion and a great study of different patterns, textures and shapes, mostly foliaged plants with only a few flowers for highlights.





Above is a beautiful collection of bromeliads and tillandsias airplants, new purple blooms are coming out of the plant in the right side. I love the silver leaf brom on the far left called Aechmea fasciata




 



I love this collection of ti plants popping above a see of green, it creates a nice focal point amid this textured pattern of large leaf plants below.




Another collection of different patterned and red inspired bromeliads with one solitary white phalaenopsis growing out of a dead tree trunk.




These yellow colored bromeliads seem to glow amid the red tinged tillandsias and wild ferns
coming out of the lava rock container.








Here’s a beautiful collection of intricate leaf patterns from thick to thin leaved dendrobium orchids, tillandsias, bromeliads and other air plants.







Green and leafy patterns grow wild on this palm including various ferns and orchid plants
that love the mosture and water that collects on the bottom fronds of this solitary palm.










A closer detailed shot of the palm with the sword ferns or Nephrolepis exaltata,  and Philippine orchids called Spathoglottis plicata which typically grow wild in East Hawaii.







A beautiful panorama shot of one segment of this gorgeous garden, it was really a wonderful visit here, don't you agree?


Just in case you were wondering about the three meme themes that corresponds with my title, I’m submitting these to:
garden bloom day http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/
foliage follow up http://www.penick.net/digging/
and texture and pattern http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/

Rain, Rain go Away...

No Really,  I don't mind....

 

The plants are Very happy today,

                                     can't you tell?

I finished editing some pictures of a beautiful garden,
      
     I visited the other day, it rained lightly most of the day.

                  The rain didn't matter - the garden was gorgeous and the light was beautiful that day. 



                  Sometimes rainy days are a perfect condition to  photograph landscapes when the light is filtered and even throughout the garden.


 

I made some hot rice chicken noodle soup and I might check out some foreign films or a few Classic films this afternoon or maybe a nice nap in the afternoon.

                 I love to lounge in bed all day long and work on some more beautiful photographs of this amazing garden in Hawaii (not mine unfortunately)...or maybe just read a good book, or even take another nap.


                     aaaaaaah bliss.....

A Moss and Zen Garden

 

 

 

 

Oh how I would love to come here often and just have some time to be

 

                         quiet, breath

 

                                    and  relax

 

 

maybe just take a moment to contemplate about my life

 

                      

 

 

                     and where I’m going

 

                                      but its too easy to get

 

               distracted in this space…

 

 

 

 

 

 

- its just too beautiful here …

 

 

 

          I love this tactile environment - I want to run my hands all through this beautiful

 

                       moss, then look at all the details

                                                                    up close

 

 

 

                          down

 

                               to

 

                                  every

 

                                     little micro-organism.

                          

 

 

                     Its very green and lush here, a perfect environment for this moss to grow

 

along with these ohia trees with their peeling bark and crevices filled with

 

green fungus

 

              mold

 

                  and bumpy looking bacteria

        

 

                     growing                     

 

                                        on their stong limbs and stems.

 

 

 

                  I look up and see the focal point atop a small mound of lava rocks and moss

 

lies a beautiful and simple buddah head

 

                                               – its sits there so peacefully and

 

                 

 

invites you in to come in and enjoy this welcoming environment.

 

                                  Aaaaaaaah – yes breath in this forest

 

                                              and enjoy the moss!

 

I wish that I could visit here more often…..

A Place for Quiet and Contemplation

Its been awhile since I’ve visited this grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate park.

 

When I visited recently in October – it was a crisp sunny morning – a great time to visit the park and take a nice long walk by myself.

 

 

This special grove is called the aids memorial which I haven’t walked through in ages – I wanted to see how the garden looked at this time of the year. Just outside the grove, I spotted these beautiful variegated hydrangeas blooming in mass, it was nice to be greeted with these beautiful flowers….

 

 

I love seeing late blooming flowers at this time of the year, a mass of these hot pink japanese anemones were striking in a very shady part of this grove filled with redwood trees.

 

I do love spending some alone time and discovering something new, or really rediscovering something  or someplace I haven’t been to in along time…. I forgot how special this place was.

 

 

 

    a simple flower boquet offering is placed at this center plaque.

It puts you in a mood to stop, think and contemplate while in the beauty of all this surroundings.

                  ….the circle stone bench is a welcome detail that can accommodate a large gathering.

 

  

 

-more pink flowers of oenothera cover the bottom of this beautiful acer lit up by the late afternoon light, it was a pretty vignette.

 

 

 

another detail shot of this pink anemone – they are beautiful at this time of the year.

 

 

This is a sweet place, I’m glad I stopped by for a visit and see some of the fall flowers blooming here….I’m glad they made this a very tranquil and quiet spot in the park – a perfect setting to think about love ones.