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Resilient, xeric trees marked by golden blooms
• Updated on June 16, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Gold trees were brought to Hawaii from tropical regions of South America and some were planted in Foster Botanical Garden.
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• Updated on June 16, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Silvery trees sprout from interesting history
• Updated on May 22, 2018 at 9:22 pm
Silver buttonwood grow naturally in mangrove swamps and have a very interesting horticultural history.
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Hibiscus stars at Foster Garden’s Spring Plant Sale
• Updated on April 14, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Did you know we have many native Hawaiian hibiscus? Some are fragrant, some have flowers that last two days versus the one-day bloom for most varieties. Some of these natives are the “mother” or “tutu/grandmother” of some of our favorite hybrids.
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Edgy sedges can be a carefree garden addition
• Updated on March 16, 2018 at 8:06 pm
Sedges have edges — did you know that? It’s how we can tell a grass from a sedge.
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Returning to Wahiawa for a botanical adventure
• Updated on February 17, 2018 at 5:57 pm
Back in the 1930s the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association used the Wahiawa Botanical Garden as an experimental arboretum to grow trees for watershed enhancement. The land was up for grabs in the late 1950s when it was rundown, with rows of trees and tall, overgrown Guinea grass.
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Community gardens serve as inspiration
• Updated on January 22, 2018 at 4:16 pm
There are so many fabulous greens we can grow in our gardens here in Hawaii. If you growyour own, you can keep them pesticide-free, and you know they are fresh because you picked them yourself.
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Use invasive species in Hawaii-style holiday decor
• Updated on December 13, 2017 at 6:38 pm
Christmas berry (Schinus terebinthifolius) is an invasive weed but has been proved to be useful as decor and for some medicinal uses. It is also a nonthirsty plant.
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Show-stopping ti plants easy to grow from cuttings
• Updated on November 19, 2017 at 5:45 pm
We have so many amazing ti varieties in Hawaii. The original green ti, also called ki or lai, is a canoe plant, carried here on the great voyaging canoes of the ancient Polynesians.
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Unthirsty ‘ZZ’ plants easy to grow indoors
• Updated on October 22, 2017 at 5:47 pm
The “ZZ” plant, also known as Zanzibar Gem, is related to the kalo (taro) plant. Even though a recent addition to our Hawaii nursery trade, they have become widely used in interiorscapes.
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Native Hawaiian bees were in isles first
• Updated on September 17, 2017 at 5:28 pm
Native Hawaiian bees pollinated plants here before honeybees were introduced in 1857. The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences has been working with students to kokua these rare and beneficial native insects.
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Try espalier technique to grow trees in smaller space
• Updated on August 19, 2017 at 5:59 pm
With land so valuable in Hawaii and our gardens getting smaller, many of us still want to grow fruit trees. Espalier, an ancient and artful gardening technique, could be the answer.
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Nonnative tahinu tree flourishes in Hawaii
Tahinu is native to tropical shores from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and is especially common on coral islands. In Hawaii, it has spread on the main islands, except Kahoolawe.
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Supernutritious sweet potatoes prove easy to grow
• Updated on June 20, 2017 at 12:38 am
Uala, or sweet potato, is easy to grow in Hawaii and very versatile in recipes.
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Botanical garden, hybrid orchid among Foster’s legacies
• Updated on May 22, 2017 at 10:33 am
Do you know about Mary Mikahala Robinson Foster and her many gifts to Hawaii and the world?
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Nutritious ulu could boost Hawaii’s food security
• Updated on April 16, 2017 at 3:50 pm
Ulu is rich in fiber, calcium, potassium, B vitamins and pro-vitamin A carotenoids. If more people ate breadfruit, we would cut down on diabetes and other health issues.
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Gold trees and relatives can make splendid, colorful lei
• Updated on March 19, 2017 at 4:46 pm
The combo weather we’vebeen having — dry, then wet, calm, then windy from all different directions (trades, Kona, weird easterlies, superstrong southerlies) — seems to have triggered a stress response in gold trees and their relatives that is making them bloom so beautifully this year.
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Grasscrete a concrete replacement that helps the aina
• Updated on February 19, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Grasscrete, where grass is grown in cells interspersed between concrete is an akamai and aina-friendly investment in our underground water aquifers.
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Bougainvillea blossoms make fine lei
Yes, a florist would be faster and easier, but making lei with bougainvillea are a timely way to take advantage of the winter blooming plant.
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Scour personal growing area for holiday gifts, decorations
Decorating with and giving plants and flowers as gifts is a fun thing for gardeners and plant lovers.
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Decorate with, give away festive puakenikeni balls
Gardeners can use puakenikeni fruit to make excellent and versatile holiday decor.
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Browning coconut fronds caused by alien beetles
• Updated on November 19, 2016 at 4:48 pm
When coconut fronds yellow and brown before drying up, the coconut palm is reabsorbing and reusing nutrients. Brown and tattered midtree fronds are a different story.
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