City Gardener

I appreciate so much the Greenhouse staff for their ability to organize a group of student workers and volunteers - as I am. For example, when I arrived today there was a white board listing duties waiting to be performed. There is no need to stand around wondering what to do. Today my task was clearly outlined on the board: hang bromeliads. Neoregalia hybrids (in the family of bromeliads) My tasks listed in blue ink Empty trellis, waiting to be filled with bromeliads Located in the cool temperate 'cloud forest' room is a collection of bromeliads plants with the genus name of Neoregelia. They had been growing on the flat surface on one of the benches - as on a table top - occupying 50 square feet of bench space. That is a lot of bench space to devote to one plant genus. The proposed solution was to move the plants from a flat surface to hanging on a trellis in the same room. My task began with moving plants to gain access the trellises. I then transferred clusters of bromeliads...

I returned to the Greenhouse after a 6-week break so that I could do some traveling. I'm grateful to be allowed the time away from the volunteer opportunity at the University's Botanical Greenhouse, which I so much enjoy. Today, I was assigned the task of maintaining the vining plants in the desert room, on the Collection side of the greenhouse. The vining plants in this room are situated on one of the benches along an internal glass wall. The vines are attached to a number of wooden and metal trellises. Over the past year, the vines have grown and become a bit misshapen. Some of the stems are quite dead, or nearly so. My task was to cut down, prune, and re-string the vines to be ready for the coming growth season. Here are a few examples: Xerosicyos danguyi, silver dollar plant Xerosicyos, or silver dollar plant, is in the cucumber family Cucubitaceae from Madagascar. Fockea edulis Fockea is a succulent shrub in the dogbane family Apocynaceae from Africa. It has the nickname ...

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, HI Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu HI This photograph says so much about this special garden in a single image: - Senator Daniel Inouye represented Hawaii in the US Senate for decades. He was of Japanese descent and a senior in a Honolulu high school when he witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, he volunteered for an all-Japanese army unit which served first in Mississippi, then in Italy and France during the war. The airport has rightfully been named in his honor.  - The building itself was designed - by the great Honolulu architect Vladimir Ossipoff - in the open native Hawaiian concept of the lanai. To native Hawaiians the lanai was a free-standing building with a thatched roof and open-sided walls to allow a fresh breeze to wash through. The main concourses of the airport terminal are all open to the outside air, recreating the concept of the lanai. Upon landing in Honolulu, the freshness of the ...

Queen Lili’uokalani The last reigning monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani, was deposed by a group of rich white American business men, ending the Hawaiian monarchy. Many of the men were the sons of missionaries who came to the Hawaii to spread the work of Jesus. The missionaries and their sons were gradually granted lands by the newly converted Hawaiian chiefs such that the missionary family’s acquired the wherewithal to control the growing economy. Finally in 1893, the American business men called on US troops to invade Honolulu allowing them to overthrow the monarchy. Their goal was for the Islands to become a protectorate of the USA, cementing their hold on the Hawaiian economy. Lili’uokalani was convicted of inciting rebellion by a panel of the businessmen. She was sentenced to years of hard labor, which was reduced to confinement in her own bedroom of Iolani Palace. US guards paced outside her bedroom door day and night. To pass the time the former Queen composed Hawaiian music...

Forest trail in the foothills near Honolulu I get it, when folks go on vacation they want to relax. Our jobs and homelives are often stressful and full of obligations. Most people coming to Hawaii as a tourist want a comfortable place to stay, somewhere near a safe clean beach, and with easy access to good places to eat. But in order to provide these amenities for thousands of travelers at any one time means the built environment has to replace the natural environment. Don't expect a quiet tropical beach in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. My partner and I have found a bit of an antidote for the overcrowding on the beach: head for the hills. The Hawaiian Islands have some wonderful hiking trails where the natural environment is largely preserved. Sure, there are lots of invasive plants and trees, an ancient Hawaiian wouldn't hardly recognize the place. But still, the hills are all jungle-y, green, and lush. Most of the state parks are free, and many provide basic services ...

Koko Crater Koko crater is one of at least 5 major volcanic craters on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Koko is perhaps the youngest of them, having started to form 40,000 years ago, intermittently erupting until 7000 years ago. And, it may not be done yet. Two of the other more famous craters on Oahu are Diamond Head and Punch Bowl craters. Looking east from downtown Honolulu one sees the profile of Diamond Head crater. Just beyond Diamond Head lies Koko Crater, rising to a height of 1000 feet. It is an easy 20 minute bus ride from Diamond Head, and 30 minutes from Waikiki beach. The 60 acres of the Koko Crater Botanical Garden is situated in the bowl of the crater. The conditions there are desert-like due to the absence of either rainfall or run-off from the larger nearby mountains on Oahu. The Koko Garden is one of the five botanical gardens owned and operated by the County of Oahu's Honolulu Botanical Gardens. Entry is free of charge, but services are minimal and limited to a few p...