Though the rate of publication of new books about tropical plants has declined considerably in the past few years, there are several new books of interest to Hawaii gardeners. Each is available either at local bookstores or online, and if the library doesn’t carry them, you should ask that they get a copy.
Though the rate of publication of new books about tropical plants has declined considerably in the past few years, there are several new books of interest to Hawaii gardeners. Each is available either at local bookstores or online, and if the library doesn’t carry them, you should ask that they get a copy.
The most beautiful new book is “Tropical Flowers” by Eileen Johnson, the director of FlowerSchool in New York — flowerschoolny.com. The book focuses on the work of Felipe Sastre, one of the original designers at FlowerSchool. The book is brimming with color and creativity. Everyone has something to learn from these floral techniques and ideas. There’s a bridal chapter and one for Christmas, as well as many ideas for centerpieces and side table arrangements. There are plenty of step-by-step pictures showing how the elegant arrangements are built. At one dinner setting, fan palm leaves are used as place mats, and the arrangement is low enough that guests can easily talk to one another across the table. The arrangements are refreshingly modern without looking artificial. There are a few plant materials that are oddly misnamed, including horsetail being referred to as bamboo stalks and banana leaves being called philodendrons. But these are minor issues compared to the overall visual radiance of the book.
There are many reasons for Hawaii gardeners to love epiphytes: they’re easy to maintain, they have spectacular flowers or foliage, and they adorn otherwise bare branches, giving them a lush, tropical look. They don’t hurt the trees because they’re not parasites. My eyes lit up when I first got my hands on a copy of “Air Plants: Epiphytes and Aerial Gardens” by David Benzing. My eyes glazed over as I actually tried to read it. There are very few easy-to-read sentences in this book. If you love plants but the study of botany is not your passion, the book may be a bit challenging. But the reward is worth the academic vocabulary, even if you have to use the circuitous and difficult glossary more often than in most books. The publisher says “Air Plants” is accessible to readers unfamiliar with technical botany. I don’t agree with that description.
However, perseverance does open a treasure trove of knowledge in this book. It covers the higher plants, not lichens and mosses. There are about 28,000 known epiphytes and two-thirds of those belong to three families, all of which make small, highly mobile seeds. There are 15,000 epiphytic orchids with almost three-quarters of all orchids being epiphytes. Bromeliads and aroids have large numbers of epiphytic species, 1,500 and 1,350 respectively. There are 2,400 epiphytic fern species, and ferns usually reproduce by spores that are famously wind-transported. Epiphytic peperomias are also extremely numerous and of special interest here because many of the species are endemic to mid-ocean islands such as Hawaii. The author acknowledges that the book will be useful to growers, but he hopes that the information on epiphyte biology and their influence on other organisms, such as frogs and ants, will be entertaining and worth knowing for its own sake.
“Tropical Vegetable Production” by Raymond George is published by CABI, a British nonprofit organization concerned with agriculture and the environment. CABI has published many books on tropical agriculture, including several on tropical fruits. This latest book is quite expensive and not available through the state library system. It was written as a textbook for future extension agents and research workers in the tropics, and although many of the examples are from African subsistence farms, there is much that is applicable here. Crop management techniques are explained including an interesting illustration of bamboo hoops and palm fronds for shading a seedbed. There are nine chapters devoted to individual plant families or groups of families, such as alliums, onions; legumes, beans; and cabbages. Many of the plants are of Asian origin and will be familiar, or of interest, to local gardeners.
Clear Englebert is a local author and feng shui consultant whose latest book is “Feng Shui for Hawaii Gardens.”
Tropical gardening helpline
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by Certified Master Gardeners.
Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Tina asks: I have a neem tree growing in my yard. I was wondering if there are two types of neem, one medicinal and one insecticidal. If so, how do I tell the difference?
Tropical Gardener answer: The neem tree, Azadirachta indica, is native to India and has numerous uses. This single tree has many uses including medicinal and insecticidal. Known in India as “sacred tree,” neem has hundreds of uses there, including in cooking and curing. It has a bitter taste but is reportedly effective as an antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral remedy. The Internet has a lot of information on its uses, including many of its reported curative powers.
Here in Hawaii, neem trees are grown mostly for shade or for coppicing to use as mulch. The oil in the coppiced plant parts helps protect crops against insect attacks. Neem oil does not directly kill insects but rather disrupts insects’ hormonal balance and acts as an anti-feedant, a repellent, and an egg-laying deterrent. The oil is a common ingredient in organic insecticides. Neem fertilizer is made from the residue left once the seed oil has been extracted. It is considered a good organic fertilizer with an N-P-K rating of 6-4-4. It also contains calcium, magnesium and micronutrients.
To make neem insecticide from your tree, grind the seeds into a powder and soak the powder overnight in water. This neem-laden water can then be sprayed onto the crop. The residue can be used for fertilizer. Efficacy is increased by frequent applications every 10 days to two weeks.
June event at Tropical Edibles Nursery
Seed Exchange for South Kona, noon to 3:30 p.m. June 22
83-5696 Mamalahoa Highway in Captain Cook
Members of Tropical Edibles staff and the Seed Exchange Working Group will be on hand during a noon potluck lunch to discuss seed saving practices and techniques. The exchange will begin at 1:30 p.m. Anyone interested in seed saving, with seeds, cuttings or huli to share, is encouraged to attend. Those seeking information are also welcome. Bring a dish to share at the potluck; stay for the exchange of information about your seeds and envelopes to collect seeds. This event is free to the community.
For more information, visit tropicaledibles.com. Call 328-0420 or email tropicaledibles@gmail.com for a blank form for your exchange items.
Submitted by Diana Duff, education and public relations manager, Tropical Edibles Nursery
Gardening events
Friday and Saturday: The sixth annual Hawaii Island School Garden Network Summer Symposium, “School Learning Gardens and Sustainability Education: Bringing Schools to Life and Life to Schools,” at the Gates Performing Arts Center at Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Malaai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School. Educators, administrators, staff, volunteers and community members may attend. $50 per person includes breakfast, lunch and conference materials. Register at higardensymposium.eventbrite.com or call 887-6411 for more information.
Saturday: “Victory Gardening with Containers” from 1 to 4 p.m. at Waimea Community Education Center, 65-1184 Mamalahoa Highway, with Jan Wizinowich. The first in a series of meetings on three consecutive Saturdays teaching soil basics, container types and construction as well as care and maintenance. $20 plus $15 materials fee includes all three classes. For information or to register, contact Matilda Tompson at 885-1539 or visit waimeaeducation.com/classes/victory-gardening-with-containers.
Farmer direct markets
Wednesday: “Hooulu Community Market” 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay
Saturday: “Kona Farm Bureau Market” 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center
Sunday: “South Kona Green Market” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook
Plant advice lines
Email questions to master gardeners at konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu. Call UH-CES in Kainaliu between 9 a.m. and noon Thursday at 322-4892.
This column is produced by Diana Duff.