By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
You can find Narcissus plants for as low as $6 in Chinatown.
For 20 years, politics conspired against the narcissus plant. The United States and China weren't getting along, there was a trade embargo, you couldn't buy a narcissus bulb to save your life. Good luck blossoms with narcissus flowers
"The whole generation of narcissus carvers was almost lost," said Gilman Hu, Honolulu's acknowledged Narcissus King.
Those times are gone and the narcissus is a popular accessory of Chinese New Year celebrations. Plants can be purchased growing "upright" (naturally) or in the curlicue crab-claw style, where the bulb has been carved to dictate the way leaves and flowers emerge.
Hu has been growing narcissus since 1981, bringing bulbs back from Hong Kong. He figures he's taught about 700 others bulb-carving through Honolulu Academy of Arts classes.
Hu said the narcissus has become a new year's staple for the simple reason that it can be forced to bloom in the middle of winter. "I think the tradition is perpetuated by old wives" tales saying that if you can bring a flower in bloom you'll get good luck."
Narcissus plants are on sale in Chinatown for as little as $6, Hu said, but better plants are in the $10 to $15 range. They'll also be sold at the Chinatown new year's celebration Jan. 23 and 24.
Hu's crab-claw plants are for sale at Sweetheart's Lei Shop, 69 N. Beretania. Hu and his students will display their narcissus creations at the Honolulu Academy of Arts Feb. 14 and 15.
When buying narcissus, choose plants with short, straight leaves; they shouldn't be bending over. Flowers should be in their pouches or just breaking out. The idea is that they will be in bloom for the new year, Jan. 28.
The bulb should be white and "huge," Hu said. "When you grow it right the bulb swells and is almost ivory white."
Roots should be clean and white. If they look dry, the plant has not been adequately watered.
To care for the plant, change the water daily. The blooms should last five to 10 days. "After the flowers die, throw it away," Hu said. The bulb cannot be salvaged.
Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Bulletin
