Been a while

Apparently my perfectionism gets in the way of my blogging. Uploading photos takes a while and it annoys me. So I figured just start writing and if I get around to it I'll upload pictures. Well, it's been since January, so let me catch you up. I started college again after a 30 year gap, just one class, but still a big deal. I'm taking a class on plant tissue culture, the micro-propagation of plants in test tubes. It was great fun, but did take a lot of time, got an 'A', but two more classes to go to get a certification from the college. It's the first time I've lived in a city where there's a 4 year university with a degree in horticulture, San Diego has none. Just recently went over my transcripts with my adviser, still good from 1982, and everything went through, and it looks like it will take about 3 full time semesters to graduate and get a B.S. I'm considering full time school and doing it, but it is costly, way more than in 1983. Still I'd like to do it for me. Drugs and alcohol really did a number on me back then, (even so had a 3.9 and was on the dean's list), but I've been clean and sober since 1987, so it does kind of feel like a circle that would be nice to complete. I know it won't make a difference in my pay or even knowledge really, 30 plus years of experience goes a long way. I feel like I could teach a lot of these courses, and maybe I will after I graduate.
I also turned 50 in March, and that strangely was a bigger deal than I was expecting. Fifty just doesn't fit with my brain, I guess I just had a different idea of what fifty would be, but given the unconventional choices I've made in my life, where else would I be.
Sadly my oldest dog (only 9) Thai died very suddenly a week before my birthday, he had a run in with one of the very poisonous buffo or cane toads common here in Hawaii, it happened overnight, and there's no 24 hr vet on this side of the island. The symptoms weren't very clear at first and by the time it progressed it was too late. I held him in my arms all night but his heart stopped 3 hours before the vet opened the next day. Andy and I felt very helpless, and I was mad with myself for not realizing just how toxic the toads were, I'm now an expert. The poison can be fatal for animals 20 lbs and under, and rat terriers are particularly sensitive. If there had been a vet available, I think we might have saved him, but I just don't know. We buried him out in the garden under a special tree. I still think of him everyday and miss him a lot, he was a really good dog. Tallow, the rat terrier left, is surprising better as a solo dog, he had lots of attention issues and now he's the center of attention and completely spoiled. Having his unconditional love made this much easier for us to get through. It's really made me aware of just how fragile life is, and how we should always make the most out of every day.
Basically we've both been working a lot, Andy with two part time jobs, and me landscaping and selling plants. This spring I didn't propagate much, I was so busy working and going to school, then this summer I really made an effort to get the certified mail order nursery going. It was a lot of work and cost, I had to clear an area, grade it, top dress it with lots and lots of base material, like 32 tons worth. Then, I built the tables, a separate mist area and potting area, all conforming to the regulations required by the state of Hawaii. No plants can be in the area for the initial inspection. We got our inspection, passed, but now had to grow the plants to sell. With very specific guidelines, I am doing just that, many many plants.
So the next thing was to get the website up and running. I have three, one for me with my name, my old one www.tompiergrossi.com, my landscape one www.kalolilandscape.com and the nursery www.vintagegreenfarms.com. So this summer I taught myself Dreamweaver a web design program, to learn how to do this myself, my friend Kurt did my old site. I finally got www.tompiergrossi.com up and running with my new content, it's very simple but is a good start. It basically acts as a pointer to the other sites, and I'll eventually add more to it, I just uploaded a list of all the plants we're growing here, over 1,000 taxa.
The landscape site I did on the mac with iweb, I also had to learn that, I really like that site, it has lots of info and pictures of jobs. Now I'm working on the store, adding plants to the availability, time consuming but exciting because this I really want to work. The basic site for Vintage Green Farms was done on the mac, but I'm going to build a new one with dreamweaver, it will work better for what I want to do. The store itself is in shopify, an online template program, they deal with the shopping cart and all that stuff I don't want to deal with. I want to focus on plants of course. I'll add a link from the VGF site soon, when I have more plants uploaded.
I've added another farmers market to my schedule, so now in addition to selling plants at the Maku'u Farmers Market on Sundays, I'm doing the Waimea Town Market on Sundays, it's quite a drive, an hour and a half, but the people are great, and they buy a lot of plants. It also feels good to be cool for a change, it's at 2,500 ft, although it's also really windy.
I'm still getting used to being warm all the time, but it is great for the plants. Andy ordered some different salvia seeds to try, most have done well, a few definitely don't like the heat, but that's how you learn. I'm more surprised by the number of non-tropical plant that are growing great here.

Happy New Year

Native Tree Fern - Hapuu

Okay, now it's really been too long. I know it's January, but it was 82 degrees today, sunny and then it started raining at 3:30. Got about half an inch. Still not enough though, we are having a drought here, only half the rainfall we normally get, only 45" last year, normally 90". We live off catchment (water off the roof, we catch in a 10,000 gal tank), as of today it was down to a foot (full is 7'). 10,000 gals should be a lot, but the trouble is you need the water when it doesn't rain, a bit of a glitch in the system. A big thanks to my neighbor, a retired Hilo agriculture professor, who has a well and lets us use it to fill it up. I'm going to have to fill this week, so far maybe 5 times since we moved in.

It's surprising how fast the cinder soil (10-30 yds deliveries to date) here drys out, three days and new stuff wilts. At least now most of the plants are pretty well established and can last between rains. The mulch (100 yds) we put out has really helped, the garden has really grown.

I'm beginning to tell the seasons here. The plumerias go kind of dormant in the winter, but even now I still have a few blooming. Some winter blooming salvias do only bloom in the winter, like S. wagneriana, but others like S. mexicana 'Russel's Form' bloom all year. Still waiting to see if the Hollywood plum I brought will flowers and bloom, (still has most of it's leaves). I bought a Golden Dorset Apple (low chill) here, still waiting on that one as well. The Figs (Ventura and Panache) have done well and fruited, even thought they are still in the 5gals cans. Vegetables and annuals are odd though and seem to grow whenever, but the poppies (Papavar somniferum) just wont live. Most things thrive, but a few have difficulties. I'm not sure if it's the pH (we are way acid at 5.5) or what. Nutrition leaches almost instantly. I've started using Nutricote 100 day slow release in the nursery pots, and that stuff is magic in this climate, no burning and the plants jump, but it costs $75 for a 50lb. In the ground we've been using triple sixteen ($22 for a 50lb) and a great slow release from Japan called Complehumis, an organic based 8-8-8 with molasses as a coating, about a buck a pound, that I really like. Down side, the wild pigs here apparently love it, luckily our garden has a hog fence. Hogs out, dogs in.

Still learning here, but the Japanese garden I'm landscaping is really coming along.
Trying to get some of my work known on the island, for the web site & stuff. Check out the new site

www.kalolilandscape.com

Path in the Japanese Garden

Covillea racemosa

I'm really enjoying landscaping and growing plants here, but I do need to start making more money, I think I may have underestimated what it would be like to have to start over from scratch. Still though glad we made the move. I'm more relaxed here, the other day I actually found myself driving below the speed limit (common here). Andy and I are both working pretty much full time and have enough money to get by, but just not enough to get ahead, and that's without a mortgage. The nursery is coming along, but with no money to move it forward, new base material (to level), tables, shade and such, the process has been slow. To outsiders I'm sure it looks like we are moving fast here, but to me, painfully slow.

We have started to makes more friends here, and that feels really good. People here are really nice. Quite a few are like us, new transplants. I'm meeting a lot of people at the farmers market on Sundays, and Andy meets tons of people at Paradise Plants up in town where he works.

Variegated Banana 'Ae Ae'

So far I've harvested two crops of bananas, which grow super good here, duh. The trouble is you get too many, I sold the extra variegated ones at the farmers market. They have a sweet, lightly apricot flesh and holds on to the acid even as the peel browns. I also got a nice bunch of dwarf apple bananas,my favorite, most of those got frozen for smoothies. Those were quick, less than a year from planting. Still waiting for pineapples, those take two years they tell me.


We lost our roommate Jeff, he baled in the Oct. while owing us over 4,000 dollars. Just left one day with no notice & left all his stuff. We called the police and after a few days went though his room looking for clues, only to find a straightened up disaster zone, including large Tupperware containers full of dirty dishes. Who lives like that? He finally emailed & made arrangements to pick up his shit. Good riddence. I am so tired of sober AA people using us, just broken people. He said he pay us back, but I guess we will have to wait and see. So no more helping people (at least in AA)



I like living alone (with just Andy), but a roomate would really help with the bills. We also talked about setting the room up as a vaction room rental, but we'll figure it out.

I've also been working on other projects, like these benches that convert into a picnic table. Making tufa pots, since pots are so expensive here. I did put up a new 400 sq ft shade house, which is really helped with propagation.


A few friends have visited, Cliff & Dae from Arizona & my bother David and his boyfriend Robbie from California. More expected - tom

David, Andy, Tom

One full year in hawaii

Well, I know I've been bad about posting, but in my defense, I've been busy working, which is a good thing. The Japanese garden in Hilo (15 miles north) I've been restoring is really coming along and looking good. I do a whole post on it soon. I'm up there 4 days a week now, plus doing the farmers market on Sundays at Maku'u (2 miles south of Kea'au) and all the specialty sales on the big island.

Calliandra surinamensis hybrid

Our garden had definitely grown a ton since we began planting in September. It's amazing how fast things grow when there is no winter slowdown, or droughts or Santa Annas to desiccate things. Above is the entry bed, the second we planted. The large shrub behind the Zamia furfuracea is a Calliandra surinamensis hybrid with red flowers (instead of pink). I will be propagating it for sale in the spring of 2011 on line.



To the right is some Areca vestiaria (Red Leaf Form) which so far have been slow, but everything else has grown really fast. The front garden has just now really got its roots in the ground and begun to grow.

Brugmansia 'Velvet Rose'

Brugmansia 'Snowbank'

The Brugmansias or Angel's trumpets have been the fastest, started as rooted 4" plants and most are about almost 6' tall after 6 months. My favorite is 'Velvet Rose', probably the best pink I've seen. Brugmansia 'Apricot' is massive, 'Snowbank' is a dwarf but has a great variegation. Its late right now and the smell in the living room is really nice.

Brunmansia 'Apricot'

For me the layout of the front garden was the most exciting part, because I could finally see the space in 3-D and not just on the page. I have a naturalistic circuitous path system with different sized circular beds punctuating the garden for a little geometry. One is a patio, another a turf bed with variegated St. Augustine grass. (Stenotaphrum secudatum 'Variegatum')

I still want to top the paths and the patio with a crushed blue stone, for some reason they call it sand here. Real sand is apparently expensive to ship in. They use the blue stuff in concrete. The long term plans for the patio are to cover it with a bamboo arbor inspired by a cool design I saw at a San Francisco flower show years ago.

Schizolobium parahyba

The curving paths are an old Sin Jen trick to create a sense of mystery and expansion in the garden. The large tree to the left of the path is one of three Schizolobium parahyba, or Brazilian tree fern, which is not a fern at all. Andy ordered the seed (4) of which 3 spouted and are now over 7' tall. They can get up to 100' tall with buttressed roots with enough soil, we have no soil so I'm hoping they will stay smaller, but still provide a tall canopy.

My brother David and his partner Robbie came to visit last month, they're some of the few to see the our new place, and it was Davids first trip to Hawaii. We did the whole tourist thing.

We went up 4,000' to see the Kilauea crater, we also went back later that evening to hike the smaller Kilauea Iki and back up to the caldera to see the inner glow at night. It's one of the only national parks to be open 24 hours.

David & Robbie

Mauna Kea

We also went up to to top of Mauna Kea at almost 14,000 feet. It is quite a drive, man but the view was so great. Clear as anything, I could see Hilo and my neighborhood to the south east, and the pick is a shot of Maui, just a hundred miles off the north west coast the Big Island, the peak is Mount Haleakala at 10,000'.

We also hiked down to Waipio Valley, a mile down a one to one slope. About 20 minutes to get down and about an hour to get up (a painful hour). It's got 1000' water falls at the back, wild horses and old taro farms, it's real old Hawaii.

Waipio Valley

The sunset was a night on the Koan side, just like a postcard. But dry as a bone over there, give the rainy side anytime.

Polyscias 'Golden Prince'

After being here a year I've spent a little time reflecting on my time here. We have really been busy just getting settled, I think it may take another year at least. First we got our living situation settled, then started to try and find work, not easy, the local economy is really bad. I started growing plants, a first just to build up an inventory and get a handle on how to propagate plants here.

Rhododendron 'Gardenia Odyssey'

I've also begun to see what the locals want to buy, a sad note there, the populous here is not much brighter than Southern California in that regard. Not very adventurous, which is really unfortunate given what grows here.

Musa 'Ae Ae' leaves

 They don't give plants much value, as they prefer free cuttings from their neighbor. Blooming orchids are only $3 dollars at the farmers market. I'm growing plants in 3.5" pots, getting ready for mail order, the locals want bigger plants in bloom for a cheap price. So I'm making adjustments.

Musa 'Ae Ae' fruit

After getting 12 tables set up with plants, I dropped in at the Ag. Department to set up an inspection to get certified, only to find out they need to inspect empty tables first, before anything is propagated. So all my work so far has to be sold locally, or a least not to CA, TX, LA or AZ. I can ship to other states if I get an individual inspections. So I'm re-grouping and preparing to ship my newly propagated (as in after nursery certification) plants for Spring of 2011. Even so, we do well at big event sales in Hilo, Waimea and we are even selling at an event in Kona in a few weeks.

We are just now getting fruit on Bananas we bought when we first moved here, this Musa 'Ae Ae' is the coolest with variegated leaves and fruit.

Still haven't met a lot of friends here to hang out with yet. It's hard to get used to a new place after basically my entire adult life in CA. But I do see all my old friends in my new garden, like my Hedychium f. 'Bill Byron'.





Until next time, here's a rainbow from down at Kalapana, 10 miles south of us, as the lava started flowing again into the ocean. The blueish green house on the right is about 50' from 2000 F lava.

Well its been fun getting the front yard planted, still waiting for mulch, the chipper is on the Kona side. The mulch will really add the definition to the garden's edges. Finished the lower patio yesterday.

Some of the combos have been great, I love this coleus and plectranthus contrast. Gotta go to work -later

l

New Plantings in the front yard

Planted the a big chunk of the front garden today with Andy, so glad I shipped over the tractor, went through at least 10 yds of cinder soil

The pic is a before shot, I'll post some afters soon.

For those who like to know, here's what we planted today:

Acalypha amentacea ssp. wilkesiana 'Loco'
Acalypha wilkesiana 'Ceylon Red'
Acalypha wilkesiana marginata (California Form)
Acalypha wilkesiana marginata (Puna Form)
Aechmea pectinata
Averrhoa carambola 'Kajang'
Averrhoa carambola B-10
Beccariophoenix madagascariensis
Blechnum chilaensis
Bromeliad sp. (from Kartuz)
Brugmansia  ‘Snowbank’
Brugmansia 'Compulsive Collector'
Brunfelsia floribunda
Chambreyonia macrocarpa
Codiaeum 'Yellow Rams Horn'
Cordyline terminalis ‘Flaming Pink Red’
Cordyline terminalis 'Hawaiian Flag' (H Eunice)
Cordyline terminalis 'Katryn' (Katherine)
Cordyline terminalis 'Lilinoe'
Cordyline terminalis 'Princess Kyla Mini'
Cordyline terminalis 'Princess Kyla'
Cordyline terminalis 'Robin Red Breast'
Costus malortienus
Elaeagnus philippinensis
Etlingera elatior 'Siam Rose'
Gardenia brighamii (Hawaii native)
Gardenia jasminoides 'Glazerii’
Hedychium auranticum (Apricot)
Hedychium flavum (Bill Byron selection)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Blueberry Thrill'
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Romeo'
Hibiscus schizopetalus x  'El Capitola Peachy'
Iresine ‘Party Time’ (Alternanthera)
Jacaranda mimosifolia  ‘Midnight’
Manihut ensculenta variegata
Metrosideros kermadecensis ‘Gala’
Metrosideros polymorpha 'Orange'
Plectranthus sp. Blue Yonder'
Plumeria rubra 'Donald Angus'
Plumeria rubra 'Sunset'
Plumeria rubra 'Yellow Shell'
Posoqueria latifolia
Saccharum officinarum 'Purple'
Salvia 'Wendy's Wish'
Sesbania punicea (Daubentonia)
Strelitzia reginae 'Goldcrest' ( Mandela’s Gold)
Synsepalum dulcificum
Tabebuia impetiginosa (T. ipe) Dark Pink Form
Theobroma cacao (Where chocolate comes from)
Thunbergia erecta 'Alba'
Trachelospermum jasminoides variegata
Veitchia arecina
Vitex trifoliata variegata
Zingiber zerumbet cv. 'Variegated' 

Spring Catch Up

The perennials are really filling in.

Well, it's been way to long since my last post. So here's a little, just to catch up. My ex-brother in-law Ray Salcedo, who now lives in South Korea, came to visit for a couple a weeks in Feb. We had a great time, this pic is a trip to the Kona side, a historical landmark 'The place of refuge'The garden continues to grow, it was very dry in Jan. & Feb. we had to water quite a bit & actually had to buy water (we only have catchment) a few times. Our next door neighbor Greg let me hook up an inch and a half hose to his well, so we now have all the water we need, if it doesn't rain. March started a more regular rain cycle, getting about a half inch a night, trust me, much appreciated.
We added some more new beds in front. After the scrub was removed, we built retaining walls and filled them with cinder soil. The plants seem to love it, but we do have to feed quite often as it doesn't hold much nutrient. I'm hoping the tick layer of mulch will decompose and provide a slow feed long term, and save the cost of fertilizer. Costly here.

Really enjoying the Seashore paspalum turf, it always get comment when people see it.
We went to a great garden in Opihikao, this amazing palm, Attalea cohune is definitely on the list to put in the garden.

I promise to post more regularly, getting more settled here.

First winter? in Hawaii

I'm having a blast growing so many plants that I've tried before and killed, like this variegated star jasmine, Trachelospermum j. 'Ogon Nishiki'. I think it just doesn't like cool nights below 50 degrees, well no problem here, it seldom gets below 65. This plant has already doubled in size in just a few months.This banana is a real stunner, Musa acuminata 'Siam Ruby' , not only is the foliage great, but it also produces great fruit. No winter cold to slow them down, they just keep growing.
This viney shrub is also one I've tried in So. Ca. with no luck. No worries Medinilla magnifica does great here. The berries that form later are blue as a bonus.
Andy & I recently got a chance to visit the Lundkvist Palm Garden, a really amazing tropical paradise in Leilani, just a few miles south of us. This palm garden is way more than just a collection of palms. Laid out geographically, it still is a beautifully designed garden. Started in the late 90's, Andy and I could not believe how mature it was. I know it gave me a lot of hope for my own garden, and inspired more than a few palms to add to my list, like this Dypsis sp. with a white trunk or this
orange crown shaft one called Dypsis sp. (orange crush)

After a quick two weeks back in San Diego to tie up some loose ends, I just got back to Hawaii. I had to ship my Kubota tractor over (not cheap) and my most valued plants that I had set aside. I shipped over almost 500 plants, the process was pretty easy actually. The only ones I had to get special permits for were the bromeliads and orchids. I know 500 sounds like a lot, but remember we had over 4000 taxa at our old house, so this was really only about 10%. In addition to those shipped, we have collected about another 500 here, like this beautiful Coleus 'Henna', so after 4 months we are right at about a thousand, not a bad start.Plants here are so cheap, and that goes for orchids as well, these dendrobiums we got at the local Macu'u farmers market for less than $3.00 ea. They are basically cheaper than pansys, we bring the home, have them in every room and have mounted them on every native Ohia tree (Metrosiderous polymorpha) we can reach.
I thought it wise to ship as many plants over as I could (nothing invasive), as I don't see me going over to the mainland for a while. I was shipping almost everyday I was there, 52 boxes in all. My friends Mary and Bill McBride were nice enough to put me up, and let me turn the back of there nursery into a shipping factory. I was great to have Andy at the other end to pick up the boxes and pot stuff up, as well as set cuttings.
The lanai is slowly getting closed in with this new bamboo fence and plant shelf, and trust me a sunny location out of the rain is important for a lot of plants as they get there new roots established, as well as many plants that just don't like being wet. I am getting so used to the rain and humidity now, I miss it when it doesn't rain. This week it hasn't rained in at least 5 days, a drought by Puna standards.
Oh, but all that rain makes the garden so green. I can't believe I have turf, after 20 plus years of telling people to remove it, but 100 inches a year is very different than Southern California's 8" a year. Andy told me we got 8" in one day while I was gone, now that's a lot of rain.
This picture is on Waipio Valley, just about one hour north of us, this really is a stunningly beautiful place.