HAWAI'I GARDENS
No need to prune gardenia, pikake plants

By Heidi Bornhorst

If you want your gardenia and pikake plants to flower heavily, don't prune them.

Dear Robin: Now would be a good time to prune, before peak flowering. But why does he want to prune? The more growth you have, the more they will flower. Unless he wants them smaller for some reason, they don't really need to be pruned.

One of the best things for flowering is full sun, so he may want to prune other trees or big shrubs than might be blocking light.

Whatever the case, it always is best to prune with sharp, clean clippers. Cut to the next bud.

More thoughts on pikake and gardenias:

Gardenias: Don't prune gardenias back too heavily or you won't see any blooms for a long time.

Gardenias respond well to fertilizer. I have asked gardeners with the best-blooming gardenias, and they use chemical fertilizers such as 10-20-20 and Miracle Gro, fish emulsion and other liquid fertilizers frequently. If your father has time, he can put Miracle Gro in a watering can, and every time he waters, he'll administer some of this liquid fertilizer.

Pikake: Some people do trim pikake way back, and even strip off the leaves to stimulate blooming. If the plants are out of control, you can prune pikake back pretty severely (back to about a one- to two-foot main stem) and start over.

I never fertilize my pikake, and they bloom continuously; but I do feed the soil with mulch and coarse cinder as a top dressing.

Check often for water system leaks

Check and repair those hoses! One of the biggest water wasters is unrepaired leaks.

If you have an automatic irrigation system, turn it on at least once a month and check every sprinkler head to make sure it is in working order, spraying water where needed, and not leaking anywhere.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply recommends turning everything off and then looking at your water meter. If it's still running, you have a leak somewhere in your water system.

Blooming delights agapanthus fans

Agapanthus, also known as the Nile lily, seems to be having a late blooming season, to gardeners' and lei makers' delight. I saw some really nice plantings on Pacific Heights Road the other day.

Agapanthus has lavender, white or deep blue-purple, lily-like flowers, in a cluster on a stalk that rises above the strap-leaf foliage. There are new dwarf and vividly colored varieties. The clump-like plants are pretty and tough, and thrive in cooler areas of the Islands.

Day lilies, or Hemerocallis (both the old-fashioned orange-gold ones and newer varieties) make a gorgeous combination with agapanthus. Plant them on a slope for an easy-to-maintain and attractive planting.

Heidi Bornhorst is director of Honolulu's botanical gardens. Reach her at islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com or at The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.

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