Betsy Sakata has had a hand in both kinds of plantings, but advocates something in the middle. Her most recent interest is water gardening in containers, a project that is ideal for apartment lanais and townhouse courtyards as well as home gardens of any size.
While it is perfectly possible to start a garden in a mixing bowl, a salad bowl, a casserole or any other container that is water-
tight, Sakata recommends the pots of Dragon Garden.
Located behind Kaiser High School in Hawaii Kai, the garden is a hobby of Walter and Ann Liew. It has gotten somewhat out of hand, they admit, and their current census of glazed Chinese pots is somewhere around 10,000.
Many of them will be shipped to the mainland to fill orders from nurseries and growers, but the rest are sold locally. When the stock gets low, the Liews pack up and go back to China for more.
"We go to the factories in China, and we hand pick the pots because we know what Americans like. We don't bring in the gaudy ones with the bright flowers and fish. Ours are mostly solid color glazes, green, blue or brown," Walter Liew said.
The Liews grew up in Taiwan, lived for some years on the mainland and moved here 18 years ago. They travel each year to the Canton region of China where they buy the pots. "This is the 'Iron Clay' area where the pots are very strong," Ann Liew said. "When you strike it with your finger, it sounds like bronze." And it did give off a metallic sound as she tapped it.
"In the 16th century, the Japanese went to Canton to learn how to make these pots. The art died in China during the Cultural Revolution, and the Japanese have since come back and taught the Chinese how again," she said.
The largest pots are more than 3 feet in diameter, 2 feet tall, and would hold a fairly large tree or a very sophisticated water garden. These cost $300, but smaller ones that are better suited to the amateur grower cost as little as $20.
The pots were originally made with holes, so they are also useful to bonsai growers and for larger potted plants. The water garden pots have been permanently plugged and given an interior coat of waterproofing so they won't leak.
The Liews sell by appointment only. Call 373-9296, and they will also tell you how to get there. Write it down word for word when you're told. Trust me. Finding Dragon Garden on its unnamed and unpaved road is just short of Stanley's locating Livingston in darkest Africa. But it's worth it.
For the beginner, it may make more sense to plant one of the Liews' pots with the common or garden variety of water plants available at Wally's Nursery or Koolau Farmers.
Water plants flourish in diffused light and warm temperatures. Keep them out of the direct sun to prevent the growth of algae. Sakata advises planting each water plant separately in a small container, and then arranging them in a single decorative pot.
"When you put plants in a container, don't plant them all together. Keep separate varieties in separate small containers. You can use plastic drinking cups from the supermarket.
"Put about a half-inch of gravel inside one cup and then place a second cup inside it. Plant in the inner cup, using only one variety of plant, and place the plants into the ceramic pot."
Waterlilies have floating leaves and are rooted in soil. Lotus, reeds, taro, water chestnut, papyrus and others grow above the water surface, but they all require much the same care. "They like to have their feet wet, but their ankles dry," Sakata said. "They thrive in poorly drained soil, unlike garden plants."
Water plants are heavy feeders and need frequent fertilizing. Plant Tabs Jr. are what Sakata recommends for aquatic plants, used according to the directions on the package. Each tablet is about the size of an aspirin, and the amount required depends upon the size of the container.
She also recommends mosquito doughnuts, each about 3 inches in diameter, to control mosquitoes in shallow pots. They won't hurt fish, but you probably won't have a mosquito problem if your water garden has fish.
Different plants have different requirements, and Sakata suggests that beginners read "Water Gardening in Containers" by Helen Nash and C. Greg Sprichert. Start small, in a container you can lift so that you can bring it indoors for brief periods. There are dozens of different plants that all grow well here, and because they are contained they will not become invasive.
"Never, ever toss old aquatic plants into any of our streams," Sakata warns. "It's illegal in the first place and it's dangerous, too. Some of these plants can become pests, clogging streams and harming fish. If you don't want them, give them to a plant sale or to a friend. They're too beautiful, anyway, to throw out."
