“April showers bring May flowers” on the mainland, but in Hawaii, spring is all year. However, there is a noticeable spring fever effect when it comes to local gardeners because many flowers start heavy blooming at this time.
Garden groups such as the Hawaii Island Palm Society have programs open to the public to stimulate interest and share their expertise this time of year.
On Friday (April 8), the public is invited to a program about rare palms of Malaysia. Guest speaker will be Jeff Marcus, famed nurseryman, plant explorer and collector of palms. His Big Island nursery probably carries more palm species than any other in the U.S. The program will be at 7 p.m. at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in Room 100. The lecture will be the first of a two-part series, with the second part set for Friday, April 29. The latter will focus on palms of Sarawak, Borneo.
The Hawaii Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is having its annual membership drive and meeting at noon Sunday, April 17, at the Keaau Community Center for all you folks who want to learn about and grow tropical Vireya rhododendrons. You can call president Bill Miller at 982-8290 for meeting details.
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Have you ever noticed Hawaiian air smells better than many places on the mainland?
Visitors and residents returning from a trip often comment about the sweet heavy fragrance the moment they step off the plane. This is especially true now as plumeria, jasmine and other flowers begin their spring bloom.
Coffee trees bloom this time of year, adding fragrance along country roads, as well as with ylang ylang (Cananga oderata), mulang (Michelia champaca), lemon-scented magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and many other flowering trees.
Hawaii has a special magic. The scents of flowers perfume the air and set a tropical, romantic mood whether you live mauka or makai. By adding more flowering plants to your area, you can combat unpleasant smells such as car exhaust fumes or rubbish cans.
There are many good choices for your garden. The scent of orange blossoms and, of course, grapefruit, lime, lemon and tangerine blossoms all have delicious fragrances. During the longer days of summer, many species of ginger are in full bloom, and in the evening white, yellow and rose flowered angel trumpets make for perfect garden romance.
But there are many other less-known and more varied plants that can add to our gardens.
All the plants listed below have fragrant flowers. Some of them such as plumeria, night blooming jasmine, fragrant dracaena, gardenia and mock orange are equipped with fragrance so potent it can fill every inch of garden air space and drift into the house, too. Others such as the spider lily produce more subtle perfumes that usually won’t travel quite as far and are best appreciated at close range.
There are dozens of species of ginger and let us not forget our native alahe‘e and hoawa available at some nurseries.
One very striking shade lover is the Brunfelsia. The shrub is a native of South America. Its scientific name is Brunfelsia calycina floribunda. It gets its common name, yesterday-today-and tomorrow, from the fact that the 2-inch tubular, flaring flowers are purple one day, violet the next and almost white the next. They flower chiefly spring through fall, but can continue much of the year where conditions such as warmth and humidity are ideal.
There are several other species sometimes available at local nurseries. The plant can grow as high as 10 feet in partial shade, but can be kept as low as 3 feet by pruning.
There are many kinds of jasmine as well as several other plants called by that name including star jasmine and orange jasmine (mock orange) that are not jasmines at all.
There are several true jasmines that bloom with fragrant flowers. Jasminum ilicifolium and Jasminum multifolorum are two shrubs used as foundation plantings. They also can be grown as vines and will bloom more profusely. Jasminum sambac is the one we call pikake.
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a vine. Tie this plant to a post, fence or some other support and it will climb. Pinch out the viny branch tips and it will cover the ground. The clusters of star-shaped, white flowers contrast nicely with shiny dark green leaves. This vine is sometimes referred to as maile jasmine because the leaves resemble maile.
Mock orange (Murraya paniculata), or orange jasmine, is a member of the citrus family and is an attractive evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy green pinnately-compound leaves. The white, very fragrant flowers are produced at intervals throughout the year, followed by clusters of red ovoid fruit. It is a vigorous grower and can be used as a small tree, an informal high hedge or screen or can be trimmed to a formal shape.
Night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) produces flowers with a powerful scent. A single plant per garden should be plenty. These evergreen shrubs grow 6 to 8 feet tall or more and bloom off and on throughout the year.
The ever popular plumeria should be found in most gardens, but a close relative is rare. It is known as Tabernaemontana, or cinnamon gardenia, and was originally introduced by Paul Weissich in 1960 from Africa.
Flowers are produced all during the year and have a cinnamon fragrance. The odor is delicate, but one or two flowers perfume the whole garden. Close relatives are Ervatamia (crepe jasmine), Cerbera, Stemmadenia and oleander.
Stop by your local garden shops and nurseries to find these plants and many others to add garden fragrance. A great reference book to help you chose plants for your garden and their care is Sunset’s New Western Garden Book, available at most garden shops.
This information is supplied by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. For further information about gardening and landscaping, contact one of our master gardeners at 322-4892 in Kona or 981-5199 in Hilo.
