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Dig This
Friday, December 29, 2000
By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Plant propagator Amy Tsuneyoshi walks through the Halawa
xeriscape garden, which hosts classes in water-wise
gardening and plant crafts.
New Year's resolutions that demand sacrifice and austerity are doomed to fail. Resolutions for a
better gardenBut that doesn't mean contemplating the blank calendar with an eye toward a better life is a bad idea. Success is all in the approach.
A good New Year's resolution is an embraceable one; something that makes you think, "Yes, that would add joy to my days."
In that spirit, the following are some ideas for resolutions designed to add to the pleasure you take from your garden.
Consider planting natives
Changes in the law and the appearance of a handful of new nurseries on the scene have made these plants much more widely available than in years past.Native plants are easy to grow when planted in the appropriate area, after all, they thrived here without any help from gardeners.
While their looks are not always as showy as many imported ornamentals, the unusual appearance and delicate beauty of many of these plants does have decorative appeal.
Many of the natives available in nurseries are endangered in the wild.
Among the native plants with the greatest potential in local gardens is the gardenia, nanu, which likes a hot dry climate. Resembling the Tahitian gardenia, it has a subtly beautiful fragrance and glossy deep green leaves.
Native hibiscus come in many varieties, including the scented Hibiscus arnottianus subspecies arnottianus, which has brilliant white flowers that stay open at night.
Ohai is a salt-tolerant native. The silvery shrub with its brilliant red blooms grows rapidly as a ground cover or hanging plant.
Use your garden
Lei makers who use native plants in particular could take great reward in growing the material they need rather than harvesting them from the wild.Planting a useful garden is one of the best ways to ensure your lasting interest in its maintenance.
We all know fruit trees flourish in the islands, but if you don't have room for another tree, consider smaller food plants.
The poha shrub carries each berry in a calyx that resembles a rice-paper lantern. It likes sun to partial shade and the berries are delicious raw, cooked or in jam.
Cherry tomatoes and the beef-steak varieties developed at the University of Hawaii all resist the bugs that plague their love-apple brethren here.
And even if you only make the occasional lei, two plants that are easy to grow and handy to have around are bozu and crown flower.
Bozu, or globe amaranth, is an herbaceous annual with ball- shaped blossoms in violet, pink, white, red or purple that last a week in a lei. They prefer full sun, but require watering.
Crown flower produces white or lavender blooms that last two to three days in a lei. The shrub likes a sunny, dry environment and well-drained soil. Monarch caterpillars love this plant and while it will bounce back from attacks, it's best to pluck butterfly larvae from immature shrubs.
Garden wisely
It's possible to spray for caterpillar larvae, but let's face it, there are few things more hypocritical than a gardener wielding poison. Gardening is, after all, about drawing beauty from the earth. So give something back.Where pest control is necessary, look into organic alternatives. That might mean commercial powders and sprays, it might mean companion plantings, such as onions and marigolds, that discourage pests naturally.
Compost food waste and mulch clippings. There are products on the market that make this easy and you will be amazed at how drastically it cuts your trash haul.
Compost bins are easy to make, but also available in local garden shops, in catalogs and on the Internet. There are hand-held leaf vacuums available that mulch the leaves as you clean your yard.
Employing xeriscape principles in your garden reduces water use and the demands of maintenance. This does not mean you should grow only cactus. Xeriscape means planting what grows well in the ecosystem that makes up your neighborhood.
Even if you live in Manoa, this means minimizing lawn area in favor of more drought-tolerant ground covers. Where you have a lawn, use a rain gauge so you are watering only when necessary. It will make you feel better about yourself, and save you money.
Learn something new
Maybe it's Hawaii's embarrassingly generous growing season, but we are blessed with a plethora of garden clubs and public and private institutions devoted to the botanical pursuit.Whether your interest is in roses, hydroponics, bromeliads, orchids, bonsai or water lilies, there is a group of like-minded gardeners out there waiting to meet you. And if you know nothing about these subjects but want to learn, they love to teach.
This newspaper runs a weekly garden listing of classes and events around Oahu. Take the time to learn something new or seek people with similar interests.
Add something rewarding to your life in the coming year.
Gardening Calendar in Do It Electric!
Stephanie Kendrick's gardening column runs Fridays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802
or email skendrick@starbulletin.com
