Inspired by Azores

MAKAWAO, Maui » Whenever Fatima Cameron gets nostalgic for her native Azores, she need only look out any window of her Upcountry home at the explosion of colorful blooms bursting from her garden.

Dense clusters of blue and green hydrangea mass along the sturdy rock wall lining the driveway, atop of which sit accent pots of spiky red bromeliads. Other flower beds around her gracious home are filled with blue agapanthus, ruby amaryllis lilies, dahlias, camellias, pretty-in-pink begonias, irises, tropical rhododendron in showy shades of peach, orange and fuchsia, and fragrant gardenias — "my first love," said Cameron in a rich accent.

"People in the Azores have the most beautiful gardens, even the poor people," she said. "They take such good care of it. The islands are so small they can’t waste space, so everything is cultivated."

Cameron, a diminutive yet self-assured woman with an aristocratic bearing, left the Portuguese island chain at the age of 20. She eventually landed in Hawaii and married Dick Cameron, a former plantation manager for Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. The couple, who have been married 40 years, lived in company housing on Kauai and Maui before Dick Cameron retired 17 years ago.

They purchased a 4.25-acre property in Maka­wao to finally build a home of their own. The unkempt lot held some eucalyptus, palm, pine and avocado trees but little else of value.

"It was just overgrown with weeds," said Fatima Cameron. "It was overwhelming, and I said, ‘What am I going to do with it? Where do I even start?’"

Hiring Maui landscape architect Hunton Conrad was the first step. For inspiration, Cameron showed him a book on gardens in Portugal. "The rock walls and the hydrangea — this is how it is in the Azores. I wanted something that reminded me of where I came from," she said.

"I wanted to look at flowers from every room."

As for her husband’s role in the planning of their garden: "I just said, ‘Where do I dig?’" he said with a laugh.

Their house and yard sit on two lush acres of the property; the rest is leased for horse pastures. And although Cameron insists she didn’t want the tropical flora typically seen in isle gardens, the backyard holds bold red anthuriums, feathery tree ferns, bright heliconia, as well as ginger, lauae, ti, monstera and a greenhouse for orchids.

Kale, beans, lettuce, Brazilian hot peppers and other vegetables and herbs grow in a small plot by the side of the house, surrounded by citrus trees.

Also reminiscent of Cameron’s native home is her treasured collection of rosebushes in a rainbow palette that greets visitors at the porte cochere. The flowers are not easy to grow in Maka­wao’s wet and sometimes windy weather, and mites and black spot fungus are constant threats. But with daily attention, Cameron has created a sweetly scented showcase. In fact, tours of her garden are a highly prized offering at charity auctions.

A long recovery from hip surgery has prevented Cameron from performing vigorous outdoor chores, and she is also facing a knee replacement procedure. But retiring from tending to her yard is unthinkable for this lively woman, who is as confident in the kitchen as she is in the garden.

As she explained, "There are two things I like to do. I don’t play golf, I don’t play tennis, I don’t play cards. I like to garden and I like to cook."

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