garden – Page 3 – A Darker View

Onomea Falls

Yes, I have done this photo before, did a little better this time with a 14mm lens to expand the view.

A Stroll in the Garden

My mother is on island, escaping the cold and grey of Portland for a week. An excuse to visit the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden… Again.

Ginger — A white ginger (Alpinia purpurata) at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

I have visited the gardens several times across our years on the island. The garden is a beautifully maintained array of tropical plants collected from across the globe. Set in the lush jungle of the Hamakua coast above the pretty Onomea Bay the gardens are always a treat to visit.

I admit plants are pretty, but the dizzying array of botanical specimens leaves me just a bit overwhelmed. Yes, it is yet another pretty orchid. I love to study the local plants and animals, but this collection from all over the world lacks much organization, having little focus. No matter, my main interest in visiting is to have fun with a camera and take advantage of the many photographic opportunities of these beautiful gardens.

Of course, being a tropical rain-forest it rained for our visit. I have never actually managed to visit the gardens when it was not raining. Still, the soft light of heavy overcast and the drops of water on leaves and flowers are just another photographic opportunity.

As my mother and Deb wandered around talking plants, I wandered nearby with a tripod and an umbrella borrowed from the entry station. I did come up with a few pretty photos. Not a bad day for a stroll on the garden.

Escargot Anyone?

A wet winter and spring has brought changes to the Waikoloa area… Green pastures and hills around the village, an enormous crop of weeds in the yard, uncountable cockroaches and gnats, and these guys… Giant African snails.

They are everywhere I look in the yard, in the corners and under any debris. They get caught out by the sun to roast on the driveway, or crunch beneath vehicle tires. The compost pile is snail city, with dozens visible and more underneath the detritus. They get big too, the specimen photographed below was nearly six inches long when crawling along.

I understand that folks in some parts of the world eat these guys. I jokingly brought a handful to my wife one day and let her know I had dinner planned. She did not think the idea was a good dining choice. I have to agree with her, I am not really tempted.

Giant African Snail — A rather large giant African snail (Achatina fulica) in the garden

Postcard from Hawai’i – Orchid

Postcard from Hawaiʻi – Orchid

Doritaenopsis Orchid — A hybrid Doritaenopsis orchid at the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden

Postcard from Hawai’i – Walking Iris

Postcard from Hawai’i – Onomea Falls

Postcard from Hawai’i – Epiphytic

The epiphytic Medinilla alata blooming in the rain at the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden

My Mother’s Garden

I am always amazed when arriving at the house, as long as it is summer, the garden is spectacular. Roses, fireweed, mums, lilies, rhododendron, and so many flowers I do not know, a riot of color greets the eye. Among the flowers less colorful, but no less beautiful plants, in particular an array of hostas fill every available corner. Then there are those plants chosen not for looks but for the produce, tomatoes, green beans, blueberries, potatoes, and several varieties of herbs. Every meal seems to feature a little something from the yard.

She is not alone… In the old Larelhurst neighborhood of Portland, the bar is set high. Every block hosts one or two gardens that you just have to stop and enjoy. These are streets that just invite slow walks on a warm summer’s eve.

The garden is a delight and at the same time makes me feel inadequate. My own yard comes nowhere close, the few flowers and fruit trees just do not measure up to this impressive product of the gardener’s art. I will just have to go a little further when I get home, perhaps another planting, another stone wall. I have a long ways to go.