Members of the Hawaii Island Palm Society (HIPS) invite the public to join them for an armchair trip to Thailand at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. HIPS members Dan Ashley and Tim Brian will show a free video and a PowerPoint presentation on “Palms, People and Places of Thailand” in Room UCB 114. UCB is the large building adjacent to the upper end of the Kawili Street parking lot.
Members of the Hawaii Island Palm Society (HIPS) invite the public to join them for an armchair trip to Thailand at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. HIPS members Dan Ashley and Tim Brian will show a free video and a PowerPoint presentation on “Palms, People and Places of Thailand” in Room UCB 114. UCB is the large building adjacent to the upper end of the Kawili Street parking lot.
Every two years, the International Palm Society sponsors a meeting at a tropical site, where more than 200 enthusiastic palm lovers from many countries meet to enjoy good food, camaraderie, education, local culture and jungle expeditions.
Ashley has created a photo-documentary video using photos he took during the IPS Biennial Conference in Thailand in September 2012. Photos shoot locations include many of Thailand’s national parks, botanical gardens, educational institutes, nature preserves, remote sites containing rare palms growing in native habitat and other areas of special interest, such as the Tsunami Memorial Center in Khao Lak, one of the coastal areas of Thailand hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami.
After moving to Kona in 2006, Ashley became certified as a Tropical Gardener Advisor. And he is a Master Gardener and a Certified Arborist. Photography is another favorite activity. In addition to Thailand, he has attended Biennials in Costa Rica and Brazil.
Brian’s PowerPoint presentation will focus on the host site for this gathering, Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens and Resort. Its landscape design, incredible plants and theme gardens include one of the most extensive palm collections in the world. In addition to the palms, there are orchids, bromeliads, cycads, cacti and a myriad of other flowering plants and trees.
While living in San Diego, Brian became a member of the Southern California Palm Society. After buying property in Hilo in 2004, he dream of creating a tropical palm garden came true. He is currently the president of HIPS and a member of the IPS Board of Directors.
“After the two presentations, the rest of the meeting will be devoted to answering palm cultivation questions from members and the public,” said Brian. “Please bring any questions that you may have about getting or growing palms. Join us for this fun and informative evening.”
The event sponsor, the 200-member Hawaii Island Palm Society, a chapter of the International Palm Society, is an educational group dedicated to demonstrating to the public the variety of palms that can be grown in the Hawaii landscape and to providing information concerning palms and their cultivation. Each year the group sponsors numerous slide shows and field trips to accomplish these objectives.
As a community education project, HIPS volunteers continue to plant new species of palms at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, and maintain the more than 100 species already planted there. They have also planted a new Cycad Garden at the entrance to the zoo, with cinder hills and meandering pathways that invite you to stroll through the garden.
For more information about this event or the Hawaii Island Palm Society, contact Brian at 333-5626 or visit the society website at: www.hawaiiislandpalmsociety.com.