08-18-2007, 03:47 PM
Carol,
I think I have seen tuberose corms for sale at Home Depot and the dreaded Wal-Mart. They come out in the spring or....maybe fall too - same time as on the mainland. I think planting it in a pot of extremely well draining soil on the lanai would be your best bet here. As for natives....well we don't have too many native plants here that grow from corms or bulbs. They wouldn't have been able to make the ocean journey without rotting, and they're too big to be carried by the wind (or by some crazy bulb digging bird;>) Also, so many bulbs need a cooling period that they wouldn't get over most of the Island. (You could try digging them and chilling in the fridge for several months). Still, I would worry about our many soil pests that the bulb wouldn't have to deal with in climates where it cools or dries fro part of the year. There are a lot of introduced tropical lovelies that grow from corms and tubers - Kalo and other colocassias, crinums and spider lillies among them. Depending on your elevation, there are also a number of native lillies you can grow. 'uki'uki (Dianella sandwicensis) is a versatile and handsome plant that will grow over most all of Puna. They make a nice clump of leaves and their impossibly bright "smurf blue" berries remain on the plant for a long time. Pa'iniu (Astelia menziesiana) is a very graceful native lilly that can grow on the ground or epiphitically. It's leaves have a beautiful silver cast that catches the light beautifully. It's native to higher elevations but I think it can succeed in lower elevation shaded, moist spots. There is a traditional haku or "head" lei made from the silver leaves that is truly stunning. They say the lei served as proof that a person had visited the region around Volcano, where it used to grow profusely.
Aloha,
Mitzi
Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com
Edited by - mitzi m on 08/18/2007 19:50:28
I think I have seen tuberose corms for sale at Home Depot and the dreaded Wal-Mart. They come out in the spring or....maybe fall too - same time as on the mainland. I think planting it in a pot of extremely well draining soil on the lanai would be your best bet here. As for natives....well we don't have too many native plants here that grow from corms or bulbs. They wouldn't have been able to make the ocean journey without rotting, and they're too big to be carried by the wind (or by some crazy bulb digging bird;>) Also, so many bulbs need a cooling period that they wouldn't get over most of the Island. (You could try digging them and chilling in the fridge for several months). Still, I would worry about our many soil pests that the bulb wouldn't have to deal with in climates where it cools or dries fro part of the year. There are a lot of introduced tropical lovelies that grow from corms and tubers - Kalo and other colocassias, crinums and spider lillies among them. Depending on your elevation, there are also a number of native lillies you can grow. 'uki'uki (Dianella sandwicensis) is a versatile and handsome plant that will grow over most all of Puna. They make a nice clump of leaves and their impossibly bright "smurf blue" berries remain on the plant for a long time. Pa'iniu (Astelia menziesiana) is a very graceful native lilly that can grow on the ground or epiphitically. It's leaves have a beautiful silver cast that catches the light beautifully. It's native to higher elevations but I think it can succeed in lower elevation shaded, moist spots. There is a traditional haku or "head" lei made from the silver leaves that is truly stunning. They say the lei served as proof that a person had visited the region around Volcano, where it used to grow profusely.
Aloha,
Mitzi
Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com
Edited by - mitzi m on 08/18/2007 19:50:28
Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com