The wet season has arrived. More showers each day, ground is wet and forest paths are muddy.
Heavy rain earlier in the week caused a 30 ft high Ficus tree to uproot and lean on the potting greenhouse. Not sure how the structure survived the weight but garden angels were on my side.
I removed some branches and leaf growth on Thursday and then my neighbor came over yesterday to assist with the heavier limbs. Not sure which Ficus it is but has large plastic like leaves and fruit the size of tennis balls.
Moved half the debris yesterday. Started to move large trunk sections this morning and down came the rain. The tree took out 2 hapuu ferns and a clump of tall Heliconia. The area is a disaster and will be relandscaped. Probably end up with clumps of Heliconia and Bromeliads to move to other areas. The Hapuu ferns will be stood upright and should be OK. The resulting light that will be let into the greenhouse will probably be beneficial. Pots on the bench outside did not suffer much damage so except for the loss of the Ficus tree and some extra work things are not that bad.
The Ficus tree grew from a branch cutting that I grabbed out of my van window 20 years ago. I will be taking new cuttings from the debris and sticking them in around the property and see what happens.
On a more positive note I did another plant swap last weekend. My friend with the landscaping project found another bamboo she did not want to keep so I took her four nice Hapuu ferns and retrieved a large clump of Maxima bamboo. I put the root on the wheelbarrow with the cane sticking out the back and hauled it out to the furthest location in the new Woodpile garden. My last two Zoo volunteer session resulted in two barrow loads of red Ti cuttings so the new Woodpile garden is getting a rapid landscaping.
Much work needs to be done in all areas of the garden. After focusing a lot of time on fencing around the Woodpile garden and The End garden there is nothing left to do on the far side of the bridge that requires immediate attention so all my focus will now be closer to home. Question is where to start.
One of our Muscovy Ducks died this morning. Whenever one of our animals die they always get memmorialized by having a plant on there grave. This time the duck will receive a Rainbow Bark Eucalyptus tree somewhere away from the house, probably over the bridge close to 'near gate'.
Pig activity has decreased. Their presence is seasonal so I hope they have retreated up the mountains.
Did I mention before that running bamboo season ended at the end of October. Total canes removed this year 888. The new season will start in March.
No more plant trading for the rest of the year so my next blog should only reflected trimming and replanting of existing plants.
Yes, that fence line to enclose the Woodpile Garden is 99% done. The fence is in place, stretched tight and secure. I just have to go back and put in three posts that I did not have available at the time we did the work. Today I went back out to the fence line and cut back the branches to make the pathway a walkable width. Rain stopped play so I have to return and clean up tomorrow. I have the posts ready so project should be finished by the end of the weekend.
I made a plan a few weeks ago to clean the back gardens seeing as how the pigs had pushed things around. It made me realize how many garden areas I have at the back of the house all the way to the Back 50 and the wetland. So starting at the back fence I have the Wetland Garden, the Bamboo Copse garden, the palm tree garden, the banana patch, Pond 1 garden, the memorial garden, the lap pool garden, pond 1 garden, pond 2 garden and pond 2 garden. All have been trimmed and tidied except for the pond gardens but I'm almost there. The ponds themselves need work. One is choked with weed so I put a shout out on Facebook and two people responded that they would like pond weed. One will pay and the other will trade plants. Now I need to see if they follow up.
Now that our winter rains have started I can plan to put plants in the ground and move others around. I have groups of plants placed in the End Garden waiting to go in and I have others in mind that need clumps broken up and moved around. Mainly Heliconias and Gingers.
Other than routine grass cutting its always more of the same. Will try and attach photos of the new fence and some flowers
Last blog said it was raining - yes it rained all that day. Great stuff, filled up the catchment tank and watered the plants. Dry and sunny since then and should be for a week
Last blog said Pig wars have taken a rest. Thats all it was. On the night after the rain one got back in and set the dog off barking at 5am. Patched the hole yesterday. Have yet to see if it was secure. I have now lost 6 Hapuu ferns to pigs.
Last blog said should be short 80ft of fencing and 10 posts. Well it was 160 ft short and 15 posts. Purchased supplies this morning and will be working hard the next few days. Once I get that fence finished I can forget about it for a while and catch up on other things.
Just finished lunch, have to walk the dogs and go cut up fence wire. I can't handle 160ft in one go so will do two 80ft sections with the help of my neighbor.
Tally HO!
Yes we are having continuous light rain today so forced to stay under cover.
Pig wars have taken a rest. They are still out in the forest but I have not seen one inside the fence line for more than a week.
The fence for the Woodpile garden is almost finished. I've had three chainsaw sessions in the forest this week and 2/3rds of the remaining fence line is fence ready. One more session to clear the remaining stretch and then I can put up the rest of the fencing (which I don't have). I'm going to be about 80 ft and 10 posts short so will go to the farm store this coming Tuesday and buy supplies. They only sell full rolls of 330ft of fence. If I buy a complete roll it will give me some reserve to patch sections in the future as some areas are showing signs of rust. However it would give me 250ft for enclosing new forest areas. No, this time the Woodpile garden is the last Hoorah!
Spent this rain morning in the workshop repairing leaf rakes. I use the cheap plastic ones with wooden handles from Ace Hardware. The handles rot and break over time due to fact that I leave them out in the rain. I never throw the rakes away so this morning I put old broom handles on the old rakes with screws. They will have a few more months of life in them. Next time I fix them I will use 1 inch PVC pipe. Should have done that this time but always work on hindsight.
Found two more Hapuu Ferns destroyed by the pigs while touring the garden yesterday. Thats five this year. Such a shame. They were about 5 ft tall and grow about 2 inches a year. The pigs push them over and then eat out the core of the stems. If there is enough stem left on the crown I can cut the top section off and replant. End up with a 12 inch high fern but better than throwing them away.
Found a nice bud on a Cattleya Orchid this week. Its on a plant that was rescued from a ditch behind an orchid nursery about two years ago. The owner said it was OK to try and save what we could find so I have 5 pots making a slow recovery. I'm not good at orchid growing but will try and save anything.
I'm having some success growing pitcher plants. I have a large one growing in the forest and two in hanging pots near our front door. One near the front door has small "pitchers" on it and both are putting our young plants from the base so will try and make new starts. They are not cheap but might look for a couple of different varieties.
The Peruvian Fuchsias are blooming really well. I counted 7 clusters of blooms that will produce about 100 seed pods. I totally ignored the last crop of seeds let the birds have them (or did they just fall off, I don't know). I stand and look at this new crop and think, what a waste of seeds. Trouble is it takes so much time and trouble to either propagate them myself of harvest them and find some interested in growing them. 100 seed pods with 20 seeds in each is 2000 young plants. No way I have time or space, pots and soil to work with that.
My facebook connection in Florida (can't call him a friend) just went to Vegas. He is driving back and visiting tropical nurseries on the way. He have me the names of a couple and of course of visited their websites and asked him to buy a couple of plants from me if I would pay the cost and shipping. Not sure if he will follow through but there were some interesting plants available that you don't see offered in Hawaii.
Just joined a Facebook Group that consist of people on The Big Island of Hawaii interested in Kai and water gardens. I'm looking for tips on how to control surface weed and algae. Might also get some good connections for buying or trading fish and pond plants. Gardeners with ponds usually have other plants to trade as well.
Our subtle fall and winter season is starting. Shorter days and cooler nights slow up plant growth just a little but also reduces the amount of blooms found around the garden. Surprisingly still getting some new bamboo growth this late in the year. Shortens the gap between the end of this season the next years bamboo growing season. As we get closer to December and January I can start dividing and moving clumps into the new Woodpile garden. I think I have about 60 different varieties of bamboo but try and introduce some new ones into the new area. Most of the Woodpile garden is thick dense forest with small clearings so it will be interesting to landscape a different environment.
Still raining so must get some lunch and then I think we are defrosting our freezer this afternoon before I can get out to the potting greenhouse. Which reminds me I am also in the process of removing plastic roof from one greenhouse area, doing some repairs to the structure and replacing the roof with shade cloth. That will keep the hot sun off plants but allow the rain to get in so I don't have to water. I'm doing as much as I can be make life easier as time marches on. (says he who slashes and bashes in the forest with a chainsaw. But that is much more fun than standing holding a hosepipe)
Hawaii is the most remote place on the planet! But we still have COVID, Old folks are dying in our care homes just like everywhere else. We wear masks when outside of our gate and we all seem scared of each other, so don't get too close. Impact on gardening is the lack of potting soil. Forced to buy Miracle Grow potting soil a couple of weeks ago and yesterday Ace Hardware had Supersoil in stock. About $4 a bag cheaper. $11 for 2 cu ft. Got three bags.
Six weeks since last posting. Just don't find the time to sit in front of the computer (sadly find time for Solitaire, email and facebook - just can't break the habit)
We are in a drought. No real rain for weeks. I have to water outdoor pots which is rare for us. Not much rain forecast for the next couple of weeks. Its been a quiet hurricane season but its not over until end of November so must still keep fingers crossed.
So whats been going on. PIGS have been coming under the back fence almost daily for the past 4 weeks. I go out and do a fence check and there is the oval shaped hole under the fence. Been patching the holes with tree stakes, bamboo stakes, metal posts, whatever it takes. Check the next morning and there is another hole a few feet away. After 4 weeks my back fence is like a fortress. No pigs for the past few nights. Not sure whether it is my effort or the fact that the ground is so dry and there are no food sources for them. Two days ago I was in my potting greenhouse and heard rustling and snorting. Looked at the forest fence line about 8 ft away and there it was, an almost fully grown pig poking its face in my direction to say "Aloha". A quick shout and it went crashing off into the forest. In places the forest outside the fence line looks like Hippos have been wallowing. The understory gets destroyed by the pigs.
When the small pigs do come in (as they have been almost daily) they dig up the mulch piles, plough the marshy areas and rarely do plant damage. I've lost about 5 valued new bamboo canes from varieties I was hoping for new growth. Oh well, have to wait for next year.
In the last blog I was just putting new bamboos in the ground that had been dug out in a friends garden who had lots of rocky soil. Ended up with 12 root balls and all are in the ground. Every one has produced new growth to indicate they survived the move. Moving from dry rocky soil to loamy rainforest soil should produce good new canes next year.
Almost finished the new fence line in the Woodpile Garden, which is an extension of the End Garden. Stretched out two lengths of fence this week. One more stretch to complete to seal the area from pigs. The last piece goes through dense forest so yesterday my friend stood at the terminal point of the fence, I went out to where the new fence line ended. We shouted at each other to get direction and I barreled through the forest with my chainsaw, not being able to see him until the last 20 ft. Then the chain came off the saw so I elbowed my way through the last few feet. Next step is go out and clear the trail down to the forest floor and move aside the debris so that the fence can be put in place.
I have a collection of Red Ti roots, pink torch ginger roots and various potted plants all grouped together in the End Garden waiting to be put in the ground, but its just too dry, and I have not water source out in the forest. Must wait for rain.
Volunteer work at the zoo is still moving forward. I seem to keep putting my foot in my mouth. As part of the zoo improvements the County bulldozed acres of surrounding forest . The cleared area must stretch half a mile in some directions. Not a tree to be seen in the cleared area. It was said that neighbors in a new subdivision were complaining about trees falling in their yards. The County's solution is to clear cut rather than trim. So now there is a large expanse of open land that will be grassed and mowed. Very rocky soil so some areas will be used for zoo parking. So due to construction this cleared area had not been visible until I asked if I could take a "Walk about" Sure said the zoo manager. Well i sent her an email expressing my depressed state of mind over the loss of so many trees and then added that due to the loss of trees in the zoo we should change name from rainforest zoo due to the Panaewa Savanah Zoo and add some giraffes and zebra out on the grassy plains. Zoo manager has no sense of humor and hinted that maybe I should not work at the zoo. But I'm still there. They need me and my friend as the zoo has no budget from landscaping staff and yet they are a zoo and garden.
Hoping to get some time today to pot up some seedlings. i got Hornbill Gingers and other white ginger seedling that need to be moved to bigger pots. Also some Brownia tree seedlings that I have raised from seed.
Otherwise its gardening as usual. Not too much flowering in the tropical gardens at the moment. There is always something but not so much the Heliconias and Gingers.
I have a nice collection of named Bromeliads that were sent to me from a virtual friend in Florida in a plant swap. They love our environment.
More later (hopefully not weeks)
