In the Garden
Michael Miyashiro
Ramblings of a plant
activistEvery once in a while, I get a customer who is seeking a perfect plant for the office or home that is everything a plant should be (e.g. flowering, with fragrance, colorful foliage, year 'round blooms, exotic, etc.) AND be able to live forever in that condition. Well, there is one. It's artificial.
Plants have evolved over a longer period of time than humans. The plant has evolved to make its own food from sunlight and are able to convert gases and elements to create matter. These are amazing processes and it just took humans a few centuries to underscore this by bringing plants indoors to make "couch potato" plants!
Nuturing of plants such as the Adenium is a rewarding and relaxing pastime.
The art of gardening and growing plants have been mastered through the centuries by measuring variables in creating a perfect environment that mimics the natural world. Today, as we get more obese and lazy, we should look back in the early '70s, when getting out into the garden was a health-oriented obsession.
Get outside and breathe the fresh air, get your hands and fingernails dirty, and start at the level of the plant. We marvel at the wonders experienced gardeners can show us: specimen plants just as old as they are, stories of where each plant came to be, and personality traits as revealed by favorite flora. Begin your path to botanical enlightenment with just a few hours a weekend for a break from the real world.
Soon, you'll become addicted, anxiously awaiting new blooms, watching as each flower unfurls and drops, before the cycle of life begins again. Or watch as a small seedling becomes a huge plant with a story of its own.
Eventually the sun, bugs and dirt will have you running to your house to escape the madness. Wash up and grab your TV remote. You can always begin again tomorrow!
Michael Miyashiro owns Rainforest at Ward Warehouse. Contact him at 591-9999 or send him e-mail at rainforesthawaii@aol.com. "In the Garden" is a Friday feature.
Gardening Calendar
