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This may sound like a stupid question but I wanted to plant some bougainvilleas in my front yard of my newly purchased house. I went out to dig a new flower bed this weekend and realized that my yard is solid Lava (Duh!) under the grass and gravel. What is the best way to get plants in the ground here? I see other people that have their plants in the ground so I know it can be done. Do I have to have a jackhammer or is there some method of doing this manually?
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O'o bars (huge, now steel, wrecking bars, also labeled chisel point bar can help pry up pieces out of cracks (our lot has a lot of cracked rumble, so can do this, still can take HOURS for a dagnabit plant!)
You can also look for pukas, crevices & low cracked up spots & build up a planting area
The best news... Bougies are TOUGH... We had one way too close to our front fence & pretty much trashed it getting it out... took the barely anything stump, stuck it in the ground & it has thrived
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Oh boy. First, what Carey said applies. Second, consider pots. I love Bouganvilleas...on someone else's property. They're pretty. Pretty thorny. If first planted in big pots, you can move plants around if you don't like the placement; if you do like the placement, THEN get out the oh-oh bar and make it "permanent". BTW, you can't have too much taro growing on your property. Aloha!
bamboo2u
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What I did in my yard in HIlo was just have someone off of craigslist deliver some soil/mulch and have them shovel it out of the back of the pickup into some piles where you want your bushes. Then just plant the bushes into that. Easier.
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Aloha! A couple of things: 1. Building a 'mound' with soil is an effective way to avoid digging holes into lava OR try raised planters. Eventually roots of whatever you plant will find their way into the cracks, crevices, and pukas in the lava, even the tiniest of them, and 2. Bougainvillea species DO NOT like their root zone disturbed. They make great clones/cuttings, but don't like to be moved from a location once established. If you buy Bougey species grown in pots, it's one plant that does OK if they are 'root-bound' in their pots since that indicates a happy plant. Just remember to CAREFULLY spread the root system out when you go to stick it/them in the ground. There is a HUGE array of Bougey species with colors that are almost unimaginable and shapes as well that are CRAZY beautiful ~ ~ ~ jus' sayin' ~ ~ ~ I grew Giant Bamboos in raised planters (24" high) when I owned my nursery and they were SUPER easy to dig up, divide, transplant, water and feed just because they were less 'attached' to the 'aina below ~ ~ ~ ALOHA ~ ~ ~
KaneHawai'i
Kaihekili
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Do you like hard physical labor? If so, then minimum hand tools for busting pahoehoe would be an o'o bar, sledge hammer, and strongest possible pick & shovel. If no can, then a buster or backhoe with hammer are options.
Personally, I've noticed that many types of fruit trees do better rooting down into a fragmented substrate than matting over hard pahoehoe. Flower gardens maybe not so finicky.
Bougies are a gorgeous and hardy landscape option on the parched west side, but IMO there are better choices on our side. Ask someone who has dealt with pruning thorny overgrowth.
Aloha aina, aloha kai
Aloha aina, aloha kai
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There are bougainvilleas all over Kona, while I have only seen a handful in Hilo. One was in Eden Roc , where I am, so I was hopeful that they might grow OK here. However it would be foolish to ignore the huge difference in prevalence between the dry side and the wet side. What does happen to bougainvillea in wet areas? The one I saw in Eden Roc looked OK but not large. Saw one in a pot in Fern Forest that looked petty sad.
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They grow great in Kapoho, I'm the one who has to prune them, I hate them.
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There are far more than a handful (in concrete pots) at the adult care home on 11 going into Hilo...
But the one in crazy growing...We had to move it because it will spring forth a 3 feet growth, and it was right up against the fence, going through the fence & into the sidewalk area...
After moving it,we trim it down 3 -5 times a year... so I THINK they are OK on this side, at least in Keaau
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Wow, thanks for all the great info. I have not decided 100% on bougainvilleas. I just wanted to plant something that will give us some privacy and look nice. I have decided that I am going to build planters though. I may still have want to plant some other plants in the yard though. Where do I find an o'o bar? I don't recall ever seeing one at home depot.
