On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its new [Plant Hardiness Zone Map], the national standard by which gardeners can determine which plants are most likely to survive the coldest winter temperatures…
Category: Plants in Hawaii
This section holds an encyclopedia of plants that are seen and grown in Hawaii. There are also anecdotes about permaculture: composting and aquaponics in particular.
Christmas Lima Beans
A Twitter friend sent me my first Christmas Limas, and I’ve been growing them regularly. They’re easy to grow here in Hawaii, and they taste good — a little like chestnut, hence…
Verbena, a butterfly attractor
Recently, I splurged on some seeds. I’m expecting a shipment of Verbena Compacta, a flowering shrub that can also be a ground covering. Normally it’s an annual, but I think with Hawaii’s…
Artemisia Silver Mound in Hawaii
It’s really pretty — a huge mound of soft silvery tufts in a mound. It’s also a little like lavender: possible to grow here in Hawaii, but be sure not to overwater…
A plant I want from the tropical plant database
By chance I happened upon an interesting tropical plant database called Tropicopia.com. Many of the plants in the list are plants are already familiar to Hawaii plant lovers, but there is one…
Panax? Variegated Ming Aralia
Recently, I had the opportunity to learn of a popular landscaping bush. It’s called Ming Aralia, and it’s quite versatile. It can be grown both indoors in full shade and outdoors in…
Graptophyllum Pictum Thai, Caricature Plant
Graptophyllum pictum, commonly called caricature plant, is most likely native to New Guinea. It is a tropical evergreen shrub that will grow to 6-9’ tall. Container plants typically grow as rounded 2-4’…
Gardening with Blood and Bones: and it’s not even Halloween yet
Bone meal and blood meal are organic fertilizers used in gardening, but they have different compositions and purposes. Bone meal is for plants that require a phosphorus boost for root health, such…
Duckweed: I can’t believe I’m going to grow this stuff
Many years back, I received a gift of duckweed. I put it into my aquaponics tank, where it was quickly gobbled up by hungry tilapia. I didn’t give it a second thought….