Botany of Desire

Besides books on food and foodways and eating, Michael Pollan also wrote The Botany of Desire, about how plants manipulate humans to create new plant species.

This leads me to wonder: Do I really want what I want?  Or is there some external force working in the universe to thwart my true desires?  I mean, I know how I'd dress given my druthers (Stevie Nicks is a GODDESS), but the reality of me is much . . . sloppier.  And less lace driven, although still platform shoed.

GODDESS

And for those more formal occasions like prom:

He'd be the best prom date ever, no offense Alan, David, or Derek

And she had an album entitled Bella Donna!  Which is a super poisonous plant!  She was so meant to be on this website somehow.

Atropa belladonna

To return to the subject of garden desire, in my last post, I swooned over black/burgundy plants.  Now those are schmexy colors invoking Tom Ford a la Gucci (in the not hilarious, campy way, but in the oh, goodness! way).  But why not pink?  Not fuchsia, but pink.  Or lavender?  I mean, look at Scott Weber's garden on any of his postings on Rhone Street Garden.  Photographic skills aside, this gentleman has a lovely sweep of lovely!  Why don't I want it?  OK, I'm lazy, and those flowers aren't going to deadhead themselves, but is that it?  I know why I don't plant anything with yellow foliage or flowers even though I do like them.  It's because I read once that real estate agents plant yellow flowers because viewers remember that, and hence, will remember the house.  My reasoning is that yellow flowers/foliage will cause someone who is casing the joint to come back and rob it.  Yah, I'm serious.  Hey, it's a good a reason as any.

But again, am I creating my personal Eden or the other way around? 

Little Known Fact: Plant Porn > Shoe Porn

There are more plants that I want than there are shoes.  This is a major statement, but easy to understand.  I mean, even trying my best, I'll never wear more than 2 different styles at one time - ideally, they'd be of similar heel height, but hey, keep an open mind, I guess.

But with the flora, oh, my goodness!  How much green (preferably black) goodness can be stuffed in a square foot?  Well, yah, depending on size, but you get my meaning.  And since I rarely refer to the template of reality, and lack any kind of aesthetic discipline, my gardens tend to be very crowded.  Sensory overload?  Who says that when confronted with an exquisite pastry selection?

So while I was waiting for the day to get really hot so I can garden (because suffering builds character, and I'm Asian), I trolled Gardendesign.com for "ideas" - and found some that really need to go in my garden, like, now.

Ghost fern (Athyrium 'Ghost')

OK, honestly, who can resist a name like "Ghost fern"?  And supposedly it glows at night because of its silvery color, hence the name.

Another fern with very awesome black stems:

Green Cliff Brake Fern (Cheilanthes viridis)

And these shrubby trees:

Elderberry (Sambucus "Black Lace")

Apparently the Elderberry also flowers quite heavily.  It's nice and all, but kind of unnecessary given the amazing color of the leaves, no?  And think of the rubbish!  I'm very anti-rubbish.

Elderberry (Sambucus "Black Lace")

Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria "Royal Purple")

And a closer shot of the Cotinus below.  Supposedly, it's the same, but the growth looks a lot different.  I like both!

Cotinus coggygria "Royal Purple"

Hmm, actually, I think that I have the Cotinus coggygria (top picture) in a pot.  OK, let me amend: I want more of them.   By the way, the close up shot of the Smoke Tree above is from UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research website which is a really interesting and useful (mostly for plant porn) site even for gardeners in tropical climes.

And some tender plants:

Pineapple Lily (Eucomis comosa "Sparkling Burgundy"

The Eucomis is the deep purple plant growing in the foreground.  I also am digging those plants in the background with the black stems.  Nice.

And a Canna:

Canna Tropicanna Black

I have a skinny leafed black canna which I'm doing my best not to kill.  The Canna Tropicanna Black above has such fatty leaves.  Love.  The flowers are a little unfortunate, but they only last a day, so I can deal.

And this is the reasonable list; the plants are all good in my zone!  Except for the Elderberry which is zone 4.  But 4 is just 10 - 6 which is just like.

Happy Sunday gardening everyone.

That moment the A-HA! idea withers and dies

with an image of a dog pooing and peeing on it.

Thought that I had located the ideal site for a vegetable garden - well-draining soil and ample sunlight.

Unfortunately, it is within arcing distance of the Brat.

Vyvyan 

I suppose it's within arcing distance of the other two as well, but he's most likely to start the trend.  The next idea, the 4x7 area surrounding my mailbox - lots of sun, not so good, but easily amended soil - also went away while I watched my neighbor's dog pooing there.  So back to scheming.  And back to the market.

Maybe it's time to thin out the garden

Before it succeeds in eating the dogs.

Here, doggie doggie

I have PUPPY TREATS over here

That's it, come a little closer

Oh, well.  If Audrey hadn't eaten him, somebody else was thinking about it:

. . . with fava beans and chianti . . .

Inner life of hapu'u

It was time to trim the hapu'u in more than a "cut the fronds" kind of a way.  But according to the internet, source of all that is holy and true, it can be done by just cutting the growing stump. 

Who knew that this was what was hiding in the interior:

The interior core has a tapa-like design

And the top half that was cut off can be moved and planted as usual:

Allegedly heavy

Cully making the hapu'u look good

Planting can be done with or without help and/or commentary.

Annual Weekly move everything from the left to the right day (and vice versa)

Death to the lychee tree.

DIE, tree, DIE

Hate it.  It drops a ton of rubbish which doesn't decompose and make itself useful.  Plus the leaves are heavy.  It took 4 industrial sized garbage bags just to hold the bulk of what was in my garden bed.  OK, it was a year's worth of leaves, but hey.  How much space would a year's worth of grass clippings take?  And lychees are just eyeballs.

Irresistible Vyvyan.  IRRESISTIBLE

But I digress and wax bitter. 

Moved two hapu'u from the left side garden to the lower garden along with the new ti plants from Yamashita Nursery.  They look very natural there - although I think that the LACK OF LYCHEE CRAP RUBBISH on the ground is subtly influencing me.

Clean for the next few seconds

Was feeling down about the upper side garden.  The new hapu'u plan is so awesome (it's better than . . . than . . . than a MALL!  OK, not a mall with a Sephora in it, but better than a strip mall with only a Starbucks.) that the scheme to stuff in a load of plants in the sun garden seemed . . . loser.  But after putting in a rock border around the sun garden, it looks much better.  Plus I shed MY OWN PRECIOUS BLOOD for that border.  OK, I didn't, but I bashed my thumb trying to drive a rock into the ground (let me just say, that this was NOT my idea - not to name names, but I live with him, and he only has 2 legs), and I have no aim.  Or maybe I do, but have target fixation.  And wouldn't everybody start a border from both ends?  Oh, yah, did I mention that I was slamming the rock BETWEEN two rocks that I had already planted.  It was a tight fit.  Extreme gardening.  X-TREME.

Imagine it before the magic was applied

But that border is mighty fine.  Someone give me a high five (to my right hand only, please).

The NEW Plan

It mostly revolves around ti plants.  Today, anyway, for a limited time only (most likely, knowing me and my short commitment span), the side garden next to the house is a happy song to the beauty of ti plants.   

Excellent plant patriotism day - got some variegated rhapis palms and philodendron and possibly Chinese taro from craigslist and a brugmansia from Glenn's and a big bunch of various ti plants from the Yamashita Nursery.  Love the fire sale area at Yamashita Nursery.  Seriously.  Love. 

The address for Yamashita Nursery is: 41-551 Flamingo Street, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795.  Their telephone number is 808-259-7059.

The address for Glenn's Flowers and Plants is: 41-513 Flamingo Street, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795.  The telephone number there is 808-259-9625.

Neither have a web presence, but they are super easy to find, especially since Glenn's has a big sign on Kalanianaole Highway, and then Yamashita's is just down the street.   

 A new addition from Yamashita Nursery.  I think that this is Hawaiian Sunset.

Proof that patience pays: this lovely (name unknown) ti is from a cutting that Ko'olau Nursery sells as cemetery foliage - the stuff that people buy to put in vases at graveyards.  I think that these started life as 12-15 inch cuttings at a dollar a piece.  I think that I got about 15 of these.  Of course, Yamashita's sells similar cuttings already rooted in pots for 2 dollars, so . . .  But I didn't know about the wonder of Yamashita's then.  Hey, Yamashita's cut me a deal!  I'm doing some really good PR for you.   Or would be if anyone other than Lisa and Scot were reading this, and if they didn't already know about the place.

Confession

Honestly, I wrote the first blog posting a few days ago but didn't publish it until this morning.  I needed pictures ('cause who'd read it otherwise?  And I have to give something back to the one follower who is - or may be - reading this.) and the light wasn't cooperating.  In Hawai'i, imagine.

Anyway, the afternoon I wrote about commitment, I went out and dug up one of my side gardens.  Wasn't it obvious to everyone that things on the left needed to be moved to the right side?  And then after they were in the ground, wasn't it obvious to everyone that those plants should be brought forward four inches?  And then a few inches back to the left?  So obvious.

Some re-arranged greenery.


And more honesty: I ripped everything out (a gross exaggeration meaning some stuff) yesterday and moved it down to lower side garden.  Hey, I haven't uprooted disrupted improved this garden for days.  That's like generations ago in plant time.

Stuff that got to stay: red leaved heliconia, kahili ti, negril ti (I think), and other assorted ti.

The necessary sadness of commitment

All gardens need structure, forethought (or at least thought at some point in the process), a plan of some kind, and patience.  That's what ALL the gardening magazines, books, and proper advice columns say.  Alas for those of us who are smitten by tropical gardens! in the morning and agaves! at noon.  And then moon gardens! in the evening.  Oh, and not to mention my intense longing for a poison garden - datura, brugmansia, foxgloves!  (Why do these flowers smell so delicious?  It's like: Hey baby, how you doing?  You looking mighty foxy, and I think I'm in loooove with you, and wham!  Dead!)  And it's only Monday . . . 

Of course, there are those minor little inconveniences of limited budgets, space, and, well, in my case, forethought and commitment to a theme.

But if I can't have every type of garden that I covet for my own little Arcadia, then I can go visit them around my part of the world.

Even if I have to sneak about to do it.  (Odd how most people are creeped out by utter strangers staring into their yards.  I am NOT casing the joint.  Well, I am kind of coveting some of your plants.  And your garden designs.  And maybe some of your garden accessories - why doesn't anyone give me a giant clam shell?) 

Happy transplanted bromeliads and anthuriums living under the shade of ti and hapu'u in the front garden.

 The view off of the front porch.  Lots of hot pink ti, although I'm not sure of the variety.  "From-Eric's-Housamus Olomanii" is probably the botanical name.

Red ginger with two kinds of red ti and lako in the background.

Cully and the pond in its earliest stage.