Garden Tour at Volcano Garden Arts

When I'm up in Volcano village, I always make a visit to Volcano Garden Arts to have a wonderful vegetarian lunch at cafe Ono and then to stroll around the beautiful gardens and visit the art galleries .

 There's always new plants and art to see in the garden. Don't you love seeing all these bromeliads up in the branches of these Hapuu (Hawaiian giant ferns)?

A beautiful pots of begonias in full bloom at the centers front entry.

  Along the garden walkway, you see colorful vignettes like this filled with artwork and combinations of plantings.

 I loved this statuette in this water feature it just sets the right mood when you enter the garden area.

 There's alot of interesting chinoiserie in the garden like these huge ceramic pieces.

Isn't this a sweet garden window, I want to make a simple ledge like this for my plants. 

Lots of simple water features filled with fresh blossoms inside.

   

 Another vignette with a large buddah head with lotus flower offering.

 I like the green house with all these pots filled with succulents and chinese ceramic pieces.

 The one above is my favorite, I think because its all lopsided and the guy looks like he is ready to jump ship!

This is a huge tree filled with these ceramic birdhouses and bromeliads on the branches.

This is always a fun place to visit and I see lots of beautiful things in the gallery and out in the gardens.  Here's a link to the center if your ever up in Volcano Village, Hawaii. http://volcanogardenarts.com/

A Bloom Day Show

Its Bloom day again in May and my garden is happy with all the rains we have been getting this May.

The back yard is finally looking good again especially with the back border and new central island.  The back side garden is filled with blooming hibiscus, nasturtiums, impatiens and gardenias.



I just started a batch of nasturtiums and they shot up from the ground very quickly and blooming various yellows, reds and orange blooms.











Tropical Amaranthus Spinosus is really giving us a show this morning.


























Here's the central bed again, finally planted in the back yard. Even though there’s no flowers in this bed, its quite colorful with bright bromeliads, succulents and other tropical plants.




At the back side of the central bed are some interesting bromeliads and tillandsias, this one below is a dark maroon with a red inflorescence just starting to branch out.








The side area with the lion has a variety of mini neoregalias, tillandsias and aechmeas, beautiful lighting in the morning, makes them glow in surreal colors.






The front garden is giving a beautiful floral show this today. I love fuchsias and this red/white variety in the vegetable is profuse with blooms.






A tillandsia with a beautiful red/purple inflorescence and purple flower.






Combination plantings with impatiens, croton, geraniums and dracaena.





Facing the home is an island berm with just about to bloom Medinilla Magnifica and Aechmea Blanchetiana.





















I love this small bed with black taro, impatiens, crotons, begonias and a huge medinilla about to start blooming.





An orchid cattleya blooming on my lanai.






The side garden is also coming alive with blooms, my banana transplant is already sending out a beautiful blossom.






My red torch ginger is sending out its first bloom in the side garden.





Even the pitcher pants are happy in the side garden with all the rain they have been getting lately.






Lots of anthuriums to greet me this morning in the side shade garden, this one is magicially front lit.




Is this an amazing color on this thin leaved bromeliad?









Another bromeliad all aglow in the late afternoon light with double impatiens blooms.





I really am enjoying spending more time in my garden and starting some big projects. But its also nice to just enjoy time spent outdoors and taking some wonderful shots to document this month’s progress. Hope you enjoyed the tour of my gardens with me this morning.

To see other gardens in bloom around the world go visit http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/

Back Yard Center Island Progress

 

I’m loving this new center island berm in the back yard, its set in classic display and will be filled with an eclectic grouping of tropical plants  and succulents.

Below you see the urn has the white bromeliad, Alacanterea Oderata with a circle of red thin leaved dracaenas around the rim.

 

 

More progress is happening at a faster pace now, I’ve started planting the front portion by the cherub below.

 

 

Here’s a better shot of the lower grassy area with the jungle in the background that is being reclaimed.

 

 

In the front section with the fish fountain, I’ve planted an interesting collection of echeverias, black mondo grass, purple heart and mini aechmea starlight along with two yellow aechmea blanchetiana as acccents.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve completed the stone surround and have filled it with crushed lava rocks, now the plantings around the sides and back of the bed are starting to take place. I’m planting a variety of different bromeliads and minis around the lions below.

 

The mini red bromeliads called neoregelia’Scarlet Charlotte’ adds a nice contrast to the variegated ‘Wee Willy’, a rose colored aechmea and behind the lions are variegated white/green neoregelia sp.

 

 

The other side with a portion of the back area which is still in progress, I haven’t decided what to put in the back outside of these variegated white and green bromeliads, I’m looking for some interesting texture like dyckias which I think will work well but I have to do some nursery shopping, or hopefully visit a friend’s garden for some freebies.

 

 

Well that’s taking place very nicely in the lower garden. Now take a look below and see what else is waiting for me in the back yard.  I’m sure it will be a real long work in progress even at this stage were most of the jungle crowded with thick vines, junky trees and shrubs have already been weed whacked and partially taken out. The area that used to be a vegetable garden is finally coming back but I’m not really sure what will be in this space because there is no access to watering from a hose to this area and I’m not about to carry water in buckets to the growing plants here. What do you think, any suggestions for this space?

 

 

Okay time to get outside and pull more vines and weeds from this area, it’s a dirty job and I’ve got a lot of weeds to get rid off. Stay tuned for more updates.

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

 

Wearing or making leis today is special as the first day in May is our lei day and lei celebrations happen throughout the islands.

 

There are so many different types of leis from very simple strands to very elaborate displays.

 

Of course, the scented leis like the plumerias below just add to the special feeling and smell of wearing one of these beautiful leis today.

 

 

Orchid leis below are made with many flowers and are colorful and dramatic to wear.

 

Its fun to have events and tokens to celebrate days like Lei Day in Hawaii. Have a great May lei day!

I’m sharing this on fertilizer Fridays, to see more inspiring gardens today go visit http://www.tootsietime.com/