HAWAI'I GARDENS
Hibiscus hybrids, gardener's joy
By Heidi Bornhorst
Hibiscus is a wonderful plant for Hawai'i gardens. We have native Hawaiian ones, which are super choice. We also have hibiscus from all over the tropics, and we have wonderful hybrids, old and new.
Grafting and cross-pollinating are old horticultural methods that Hawai'i's gardeners still practice today.ÊMy buddy, the great hibiscus hybridizer, United Airlines flight attendant and community volunteer Jill Coryell, has been creating boldly colored new hibiscus hybrids.
She has a very special one to share with Hawai'i gardeners, courtesy of master hibiscus hybridizer Barry Schlueter of Houston.ÊIt is named "Remembrance" and has an unusual color combination featuring a burgundy-red center and grayish-purple petals. All proceeds from its sale at the Foster Botanical Garden plant sale tomorrow will be donated to the Flight Attendant Disaster Relief Fund, which provides kokua to families of attendants killed in the 9/11 terrorism. The relief fund is a nationwide effort and a living, flowering memorial to those whose lives were lost as they did their jobs.
There will also be new gardenias, including Noelle Kiele, the large flowering "looks like a tiare on steroids" gardenia variety being popularized by island gardeners. Now is the time to plant your flowering and lei garden for next year's May Day.ÊYou also can make the plants a Mother's Day gift.
Vegetarian venue
We all love to eat, and it's great to know and grow what we eat so we can control what goes into the plant. We sometimes need new plants and accompanying recipes to spice up our gardens and our diets.
Foster Botanical Garden's big plant sale tomorrow has the theme "Vegetarian venue." The garden is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for this event is free.
Did you know that plants have curative powers and are the original source of many medicines? For example, aspirin comes from willow in the genus Salix. Process it and you get the great painkiller, blood thinner and cure-all that we know as aspirin or salicylic acid.
Clove was used as a topical analgesic to numb gums before dentists had Novocain. (If we all ate more poi and refrained from sugary sodas, we'd have less need for cloves or Novocain.) Ancient Hawaiians used many plants, and we use just a few of these today. 'Awa or Piper methysticum is most beneficial, especially if the roots are used in a minimally processed form. Ancient China has a vast natural pharmacopoeia that is still in use.
Plants also give us an emotional lift and connect us to the natural world around us. Visit a garden, breathe deeply and inhale all that clean oxygen from the trees and plants.
Vegetarians have demonstrated that not eating meat and relying more on fruits and vegetables is a wise choice for our health and environment.ÊSeveral vegetarian groups will present cooking demos on both Western and Asian vegetarian cuisine at the plant sale. Members will answer questions and share recipes and books on vegetarian cooking.
Herbs and vegetables will be on sale along with rare and beautiful exotic plants, heliconias, gingers, orchids, fruit trees and so on. The growers can give you expert advice as you select plants for your health and garden.
Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant.
