Hilo Orchid Show

 

I’m always giddy at around this time frame when the Hilo Orchid show is begins, it is truly one of the biggest and most exotic of Orchid Shows in Hawaii.  Surprisingly, I was not done finishing last years images which was quite a spectacular show, so I’m presenting it now before the next show begins.

 

 

I’m glad I got a chance to finally finish these and present some of the showstoppers from last years event especially since the new show is just around the corner.

 

 

 

There are some amazing orchid growers on Hawaii Island, along with plenty of serious enthusiasts and collectors that are creating with some fantastic new hybrids and incredibly colorful specimens.

 

 

Dazzling displays like the showcases above blend in a profusion of colors and different orchid varieties.

 

 

 

 

The colors are always over the top and so unusual in color combinations like this cattleya orchid with hot yellow and white petals with soft purple lips.

 

 

Almost alien looking and bright orange masdevallia orchids pop dramatically against this blue background, don’t they look totally out of this world?

 

 

I love this showcase with a Southeast asian tropical flair with hot pink, red and orange dendrobium and epidendrums and miltonias.

 

 

I was lucky to come later in the afternoon and beautiful light filtered into the stadium and creating beautiful backlit portraits like this one orchid spray below.

Here’s the front to the backlit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An almost alien looking specimen about to lift off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another alien looking masdevallia orchid.

 

 

I’m a sucker for these gorgeous brassavola orchids.

 

 

 

Backlit and stunning don’t you agree?

 

 

Another grouping of cattleya lit but the late afternoon light, its truly dazzling to see.

 

 

Last, are some intense yellow paphiopedilum or lady slipper orchids end this amazing show at Hilo.

 

 

 

It is always fun to visit this yearly event and be wowed by the colorful displays, orchid vignettes and new hybrids that are being presented.  When you are visiting the Big Island, try to make it to see this wonderful event.

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/

Dahlia Dell…the Last Blooms.

                            Masses of Dahlias draw me into this dell.

                                            Their vivid colors, stripes

                                                     and patterns
                   



      are full of whimsy
                   and
                       interesting designs




                                 Aren’t they just dazzling to behold?






I want to touch
              every flower, but please don’t tell anyone.
                     Its my private joy to be in the presence
                              of all this beauty…


   
                          This one reminds me of fireworks.




                         
                    while this reminds me of taffy
                                    and
                             summertime





You see, I can’t help but to

          touch you and see compare how

               large your
                                flower is to

                                       my hand

                      its just amazing!





                      True bliss……





Dear care takers – thank you for giving us
        so much joy today!

This is my contribution to garden bloom day to see other blooms go visit http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/

A Beautiful Orchid in Bloom

 

 

The Nature of This Flower is to bloom.
- Alice Walker

A Bloom Day Walk

The weather has been incredible in East Hawaii the past few weeks, with beautiful blue skies and only light rains at night. Considering this is typically our rainy season, I'm hopeful that we will be receiving more rain on-going so we don't have a drought again by the summer time.

In any event, waking up in the mornings to walk around the garden is a wonderful experience, especially when I have new blooms to greet me and something new to show for the monthly bloom day tours.

All around the wilder sections of my back yard, the large shrubs of clerodendron-quadriloculare display huge clusters of pink and white blooms which will last a month or more on each shrub/tree. Why I don't create more plants with cuttings is something I'm always wondering about at this time of year,it always gets put off for another time frame. I'm still happy with the surprises I get without any care to these plants.

On the left side garden, I have a few clusters of this peach vireya blooming now in the wild jungle corner and they are completely surrounded by wild ferns that just keep coming back everytime I weed this entire section. fortunately the vireyas are striking enough for me to notice them this morning.

Also in the side yard are many wild orchids including this variety of bamboo orchid that is quite prolific in the entire neighborhood. The stalks of each flower can reach over six foot in length with just a few flowers coming out at the tips.

In the front of my garden, this is our native hibiscus flower Hibiscus arnottianus which is a large shrub or tree and mine is over eight foot tall at the moment.

Another cluster of sweetly scented vireya called Aravir in the front yard is putting on a nice show and the scents are heavenly this morning.

I have all my anthuriums in the shady side yard and these miniatures are always coming up from underneath all the vines and weeds and create a nice juxtaposition next to this Quan Yin Statue.

A favorite hibiscus flower I planted on the front area to match the home's exterior yellow color...its always putting out a nice show no matter what season.

In a quiet corner in the front beds is this fuschia colored bromeliad, and croton with a hawaiian gaurdian tiki greeting you at the entryway.

By the front stone gate, this newly planted peach colored bouganvillea is starting to send out its salmon colored leaves and make a nice contrast to this spiky agave, I've planted right in the front row as a deterrent to anyone just walking straight into the front yard.

behind the stone wall in the front, I planted a few palms, red ti and dracaenas

The front yard with a collection of crotons, dracaenas and impatiens along with the huge blooms of this bromeliad.

My white orchid tree a bauhinia is putting out a nice flush of blooms all over the tree for me.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the garden this morning to see other beautiful gardens in bloom today go visit http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2010/01/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-january-2010.html