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When house hunting, sometimes I see a nice house that has no landscaping, such as on certain lots in HPP. A beautiful, tropical yard with fruiting trees is very important to me, as I wish to spend the rest of my days wandering through orchards and tropical plants strumming my ukulele and picking breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Have any of you had the need to fully landscape a half acre (or more) lot to your tastes and may I know what might be involved in doing this. I picture areca palms flanking the yard, a lawn area, and lots of fruit trees. How much?
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Its not too hard to do yourself. One of the best nurseries on the island is in HPP -- Rosette's at 28th and Kaloli. Also twice a year, Plant-It Hawaii is open to the public for a weekend and they have fantastic grafted fruit trees. Mostly citrus but also stuff you've probably never heard of, like abiu, rambutan, sapote and wambi.
Oh, I can put you in touch with a guy who's a wonder with plants and he lives very near Rosette's. He could help you too. Plants are his passion.
John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com
Edited by - jdirgo on 12/13/2006 08:36:10
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John,
I'm interested in that twice a year Plant-It Hawaii plant sales. When will that be and where? Thanks.
Val
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Hey John,
We went to Plant it Hawaii in the spring and bought some beautiful fruit trees and a "Dwarf" banana plant. The banana is about 15'tall right now and hasn't fruited yet and is still growing.
I wonder if they got the tags mixed up?????
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it cost when it’s free...now here come the taxes.....
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There's a sale to the public in spring and another in fall, get their number from the website ( www.plantithawaii.com) and check with them as to the dates.
John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com
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The plant sale at Plant-it-Hawaii was just about a month ago so it will be awhile before the next one, but there are other plant sales, too.
Garden Exchange in Hilo usually has fruit trees. You can also check out "Royal Palm Enterprises" online and he has a lot of fruit trees too. He's in Hawaiian Acres so it would be a closer drive.
Other than paying money for plants, there are loads of free ones around. If you want coconut trees, coffee seedlings, ti plants and general green stuff, just bring a truck and drop by my house. I've been trying to get rid of those coconuts sprouting in the bamboo.
Next time you eat an avocado, save the seed and plant it. You'll have more avocadoes in about four or five years. Buy a few lilikoi and then plant the seeds, you'll have more passionfruit in a year or so. It is a vine and likes to grow on a fence or up a tree. Plant a few mac nuts and then you'll have a mac nut tree.
Areca palms grow pretty fast, you can get one pot full of them, separate them and then as they grow spread them out further. Many plants will grow if you just stick a branch of it into the ground. I have a sheltered semi-shady area that I use as a plant nursery. If there is a particularly nice hibiscus or shrub or tree, I'll break a bit of a branch off, bring it home and stick it in a pot. About half the time they sprout and grow. Next time you go to Kona, look under the plumeria trees for broken off branches. Take them home, stick them in the ground and that's about it for plumeria. Same with ti plants.
Just ask your neighbors, they will probably share green growies with you. Offer to trim their shrubs for them and then you'll have loads of stuff to plant.
A hui hou,
Cathy
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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Wow, Cathy. I can see the green. These are great ideas, and a great way to spend time. You offered me a sprouted coconut before. I think I will take you up on it when I am in Puna for more than a day or so. I think I might come over for my birthday. I love the Areca palms. They look so beautiful when they are lining a drive. I saw a home on Kiawe Dr where the property was lined with them. Beautiful. I had no idea they were so easy to propagate. I take it avocados do okay in Puna?
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Glen, Puna seems to be avacado heaven (easy to get many differnt vareties & fruit times) We planted 2 in September & I had to pinch a couple of blossoms off the taller of the 2 (about 5ft) last week.
Pinapple tops + 18 or so months = pinapples!
I am baking a lilikoi cheesecake from fenceline lilikoi of a friend up in Mtn. View (it's just finished, so gotta go!)
Aloha, Carey
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Everything is easy to propagate here. If you are weedwhacking impatiens all you will do is spread them around. Which is good, I like them since they have such cheery flowers.
Avocadoes do well in Puna. Papayas do well, too. Everytime you buy a tropical fruit, put the seeds into a flowerpot and see if they sprout. If you see a palm tree with seeds on it then pick up some fallen seeds from under the tree and take them home to plant. Many times palm seeds are red and easy to spot. If there is a shrub that you really like, a bit of a broken off branch will frequently sprout if it is taken home and planted in a flowerpot for awhile. I know it works for hibiscus, croton and grapes among other plants. If it is a shrub in someone's yard, it is polite to ask before breaking a bit of it off.
The sprouting flowerpots do best in a spot that is semi shaded and sheltered from the wind. Keep the ground the pots sit on sorta moist. I have a bit of old concrete slab next to my lanai which works well for the plant nursery. The water off the eaves keeps the concrete pretty moist and it is out of the wind and gets shade for half the day. There is just a collection of flowerpots there will all sorts of things stuck in them.
Let me know when you want some coconuts, they keep falling and sprouting in the bamboo. I usually fly them into the gulch when I find them but they outnumber me so there is usually a dozen or so hiding in there.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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Any need coconut sprouts - we got tons. Literally. Email me for some.
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