Posted on: Friday, September 13, 2002

HAWAI'I GARDENS
New Akatsuki ginger varieties to be sold at Waimea Arboretum event

By Heidi Bornhorst

Q. Where can I get that fabulous ginger that you wear in your hair? I think you said it was a new kind from Japan — the name was something like azuki bean, right?

A. You are referring to the Akatsuki gingers. Botanical gardens have been sharing them, and Waimea Arboretum has the full assortment. Director David Orr informed me that they will have limited quantities (including some that he's going to dig up from his own garden) at the Waimea Arboretum Plant Sale (you can see the garden, too, at this admission-free event), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. For details, phone 638-8655.

All of the city botanical gardens are working on growing more of these fragrant, pastel-shaded gingers so we can all have some. Volunteers are welcome (and sorely needed) to help propagate and perpetuate gingers, rare Hawaiian species and all the priceless plants of Waimea Botanical Garden.

There's more at the plant sale. Edible and decorative plants for garden and kitchen, as well as information about cultivating and using them, will be offered. Garden sculpture and other local arts and crafts items will be available. Objects that might end up in a landfill instead become impressive garden art.

Locally grown food, including Waialua tomatoes, will be offered at a reasonably priced brunch. The North Shore Outdoor Circle is sponsoring this event. All proceeds benefit the botanical garden and arboretum at Waimea.

Special features:

• Hawaiian varieties of sugar cane (ko) and sweet potato ('uala).
• Plumerias, courtesy of Jim Little. All are labeled with variety name and color.
• Big Wave tomatoes, grown by Jeanne Vana of Waialua. She will offer a variety of vegetables for purchase and for tasting, including a special, tiny-kerneled sweet white corn and a tasting with grilled tomatoes and tomato ice cream.
• Special hibiscus, both new and heirloom varieties, from Jill Coryell.
• Salad greens in assorted funky and decorative containers. These are ready-made for healthy gourmet eating!
• Garden sculpture by Bernie Moriaz. "He has a tremendous artistic sense, combined with a great sense of humor, and this is infused into his art", says volunteer organizer Grace Dixon of Wahiawa. "He will have all kinds of garden art, including trellises for garden vines like allamanda."
• Brazilian allamandas, imported by Leland Miyano and grown by Dixon. The flowers are dusty rose with yellow stripes, and the buds are a deep red before they open.
• Special garden art books, donated by a generous member of the North Shore Outdoor Circle.
• Homemade chutneys.
• Many rare, fun, unusual ornamental plants grown by North Shore Outdoor Circle members.

In bloom

I saw a couple of great color compositions for the summer garden at the Smith garden in Manoa: red ginger with yellow allamanda in the full sun — very tough, durable and attractive, with royal colors. In a shady part of the garden a rich, luxuriant planting of blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) and red ginger thrives under a spreading monkeypod tree. Just add white ginger for a patriotic planting.

No Hawaiian garden should be without red ginger. Its flowers last for months on the plant, and it is perfect for flower-arranging and special memorials to those we love.

The dwarf lehua haole, Calliandra confusa, is in bloom at Foster Botanical Garden, up by the restrooms, and in Lyon Arboretum's wild orchid garden. Related to it is our "Superman of trees," the monkeypod. Some of these are blooming, with sticky seeds sure to follow.