HAWAI'I GARDENS
Sensitive green jade flower can

By Heidi Bornhorst

Q. When does blue or green jade usually bloom? It is my favorite old-fashioned classic lei. The color is so unique. How do I get a plant?

A. Green or blue jade usually blooms around March. This year, we were treated to some early-blooming ones shared by Mark Gwinner, groundskeeping manager at The Queen's Medical Center.

One secret with this plant is not to prune it back (as you can with most other tropical vines). It is very sensitive and hard to get going. A robust weeding, with tools in its root zone, can kill this choice flowering vine. Feed the soil generously, use a light hand, and the vine can flourish for many years.

We don't see this wonderful vine in Hawai'i gardens much today. Perhaps this is because of lots of vigorous, power-equipment-driven yard "maintenance."

The best green jade plants are grown from seeds. Seed-grown plants have the strongest, most vigorous root system. However, jade doesn't always set seed in Hawai'i, so we usually root it from cuttings. It is not easy to root and requires expertise in propagation.

Try to find a plant at your local garden shop or at a botanical garden plant sale. Waimea Arboretum's David Orr had some seed-grown ones at a benefit plant sale a few years back, and akamai gardeners scooped them right up.

In bloom

Flower spikes are coming out on popcorn orchids. This is a sure sign of spring for Hawai'i gardeners. These reliable, yellow baby orchids will bloom faithfully every spring.

My mother has clumps of this orchid that were given to her on her honeymoon well over 50 years ago. They are divided every few years and shared with fellow golden flower lovers.

Plumerias still have that naked antler look, but now some of the earlier-blooming cultivars are full of buds and flowers. Of course, some plumerias never really stopped blooming in this odd climate year.

About coral trees

There are numerous species of coral tree growing in Hawai'i gardens. Erythrina variegata is the red-flowered species, which blooms for a short time in spring and is commonly planted in Hawai'i. There is also a white-flowered form of this species.

One of the nicest species for landscaping is Erythrina cristagalli, a native of the Amazon.

These flowers are often mistaken for red jade, to which it is related, both being in the bean family.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Submit questions at islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.