Cora’s pikake is in bloom. Pikake, also known as jasmine, is a drought-resistant plant that grows better in hotter weather. Waipahu is a perfect place for it. This leggy plant shares a pot with gifted papaya from the birds.
Mom trimmed it about a month and a half ago, and it recently started blooming. She’s so proud that she told me to share it with you. This plant’s variety is the double-flowered rose pikake.
The bougainvillea are also blooming. I’ve trying to be more attentive to the ones in the front yard recently. They need trimming and weeding, and have been fighting a good fight this hot summer during water restriction. These are shots from a couple that I’ve been taking care of.
I guess I’m in a writing slump, haven’t posted in a month. I thought I’d share some blooms from Cora’s garden. The weather has already warmed up. It feels like summer in the afternoons. I think it will bring us some beautiful flowers.
Anthuriums
Mom has tried a new potting technique with her anthuriums, recycling coffee filters and stuffing them in the pots. Not quite sure what it does, but it seems to be working as there are many blooms this year; several of them are pretty beautiful.
Geranium seeds from NJ
When I moved back to HI, I brought geranium seeds from my beloved plant. I finally got around to planting it. Only one of the seeds took, and it is enjoying the move. I got some blooms on it. The dark pink tipping around the petals isn’t as pronounced as in NJ. It could be the sun, although it does live under the greenhouse. They are still so beautiful and delicate and remind me of cherry blossoms.
Back in New Jersey, I had gangly geranium that was started from seed. My mom sprinkled seeds in a pot on one of her spring visits and to my surprise, I found a little seeding near the end of summer. Growing inside during the winter, gave its gangly-ness due to the filtered winter light. But for all its legginess, it produced the most beautiful blossoms. They look like cherry blossoms.
I just started a plant from the seeds from this geranium here in Hawaii. The blossoms aren’t as beautiful but I’m giving it time to come into its own.
Ever wonder about the high cost of food and how people deal with it. In Hawaii, it’s more significant as food and goods not available on the islands come in from the mainland. I try and buy locally and just enough for a week or two to eliminate food waste in our house. In my three years back on the island, I notice this is one of the most significant ways we deal with the high cost is sharing our food.
Just this week, I get a call from my cousin “M” and if we wanted a soursop. Of course, it’s a yes. It’s Mom’s favorite. Right before she hangs up, I ask if she wants kale.
Soursop chilling in the refrigerator
“Sure!” she replies.
And the cycle repeats itself many times over in many Hawaii households. To me, this is the art of sharing.
What’s a soursap?
I realized I may have never described what a soursop was like. This is because I haven’t tried it. Green gnarly fruit kind of scare me since being introduce to durian (Southeast Asia’s beloved fruit). On first meeting, soursop looks like a relative of durian–big, green, and knobby. But it doesn’t smell.
The inside is creamy white with large black seeds with no bad smell. My cousin recommends to put it in the freezer for a refreshing snack.
Another sharing moment
Guava trees are fruiting now. Trees brought to the house by the birds that my mom feed every morning. Fruit are slightly larger than a golf ball. First three guava wen to the bird (not intentional), got the next three. Beautifully pink inside.
Seasons in Hawaii is much more subtle than on the mainland. Winter kind of shows up around Chinese’s New Year, the lows are low–mid 60s and highs are mid–high 70s and it may be rainy. This last about 2-3 week. For me, this is the perfect weather and last much too short. Then spring shows up with lows in the mid–high 60s and highs in the high 70s–mid 80s with rain and windy.
I’m not sure what triggers all the blossoming, the longer days or the moist conditions (it’s been very wet winter/spring) but they are happening in the last couple of weeks. Here’s some of the pictures I got.
Anthurium
90th birthday gift from last year
not perfect but still beautiful
Obake
I think are black but look purple to me
even the leave are beautiful
Orchids
Orchid from my Mom’s hospital stay last year from my cousin Mark
Rescued phalaenopsis from my cousin Jinny
This Phalaenopsis from the distress plant rack has 2 stems going at the same time
Mom’s old Phalaenopsis with blossom blooming and more to come
Three buds are coming in
There are blooms everywhere. The roses are doing well with tons of buds. This year’s iris crop seems a little small, but every morning watering brings a new bud or two. The hydrangea has tiny bloom. And the self seeding snapdragons keep popup up in the front.
Coming in next is my mom’s beloved honohono. The buds are popping out from the leafless stems. The first time I saw this happening I thought they were dying. But she said the leaves drop before the buds come out. I’ll post the picture of the blossom when they arrive.
And for the weeds, they are even doing better than the flowers. I can’t keep up especially in the front yard. I spend about an hour a day pulling weeds but that’s not enough. The pentas are doing great which Mom considers as weeds as they show up every where. I try and get as much of them as I can but the bees love their flowers so I leave any that started flowering.
I was trying to get the weed patch in the front yard but Bulbul family was mad me for watering baby by accident. He’s sitting in mom’s Desert Rose bed and got a bath this morning. Mom and dad scream at me. So later in the morning when went out to get a pictures of our weed patch, Mom and dad started to get excited again.
He (I don’t know if he is a he) looks fluffy and fine. Mom and dad better what for the neighborhood strays that love our yard. Oh, look you can see the edge of the weed patch at the bottom of the picture.
Princess Hot Flash 