HAWAI'I GARDENS
Wood exhibit shows off beauty of Hawai'i trees
By Heidi Bornhorst
Hawai'i's Woodshow 2002, Na La'au O Hawai'i, at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (second floor, diamondhead end) provides a great opportunity to see the creative use of wonderful woods. Some of these pieces are made from recycled wood, which otherwise might have been dumped, clogging our landfills. While koa is a favorite, many other woods are beautiful and useful for fine furniture and art pieces. The show only runs through Sunday, so check it out while you can.
On the first floor is a related exhibit by the Waikiki Surf Club. Three large koa canoes, with their history and stories, are on display. This is a great adjunct to the wood exhibition.
And while you're at the shopping center, check out the HUGE akee apple tree. It's more than 80 feet tall. Its scientific name is Blighia sapida, and it's in the lychee family. You'll find it in a courtyard at the center. The tree was transplanted many years ago and is a majestic specimen.
There's more garden wonder to admire here, too. The fine tropical display, courtesy of Larry Kamiya and his staff, provides inspiration for gardeners, interior decorators, interior scapers and orchid lovers.
A nice tropical planting of orchids, liriope and bromeliads decorates the ground level. Orchids with long blooming cycles, such as the chartreuse-flowered grammatophyllum, are mounted on the tree trunk and watered with drip irrigation. This is lovely and inspiring to view from all levels.
We local folks need to visit, shop in, eat at and support Waikiki. My jaunt to the wood show made for a lovely visit. Plant lovers, check it out! A lot of great plant people are employed by our tourism industry. You'll find lots of inspiration, creative use of plants and simple design ideas for your home garden or apartment lanai at this shopping center and in and around Waikiki hotels. Bring your camera and notebook and jot down some of these ideas to beautify your own gardening spaces.
What's in bloom
Summer is a peak season for orchids. Who would turn down a gift of an orchid? They are one of the few things that are cheaper in Hawai'i than on the Mainland! So support your local orchid growers and buy an orchid for yourself, your beloved or a friend today!
If you like unique orchids come to Foster Botanical Garden and view the epic display of hybrid and species orchids. Visit a garden shop or nursery and check out their summer crop of orchids.
Even "common" orchids such as dendrobiums can look great, growing on a tree or blooming in your home. My sister has a lovely old (inexpensive) purple dendrobium blooming on her mango tree, tied on firmly with old nylon stockings. "It always blooms when I go on a trip," she says. (She just returned from a fishing trip).
A lovely garden blooming combination, simple to do in any garden, mixes old-fashioned Portuguese roses (the deep pink, fragrant, Madeira or Queen Emma varieties), hybrid ti leaves (I love the deep red, nonsunburning Lilinoe variety), and kukukupu lau nui fern. The colors are bold yet complimentary, and the care, maintenance and water requirements are minimal.
Heidi Bornhorst is director of Honolulu's botanical gardens. Submit questions to islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com or Island Life, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Letters submitted may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
