I'm also a beginner gardener and would like to have a cottage garden look as well but here in Hilo. I can't seem to find nurseries or plant suppliers other than Home Depot or Walmart. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Take a walk in your neighborhood and look at the plants in other people's yards. Remember the plants that have a "cottage garden" look, and those that you see frequently will probably be easy to grow.

Hi; I am writing for some information, I just came back
from Kauai and I fell in love with all of the nice flowers that are over there. I am really interested in the Lily of the Nile. We were on a bus tour and we stopped at a small convenient store along the road, and I seen these blue flowers all over so I asked the clerk what they were called and she said Lily of the Nile, I should just go and pick off a seed pod and take it with me. Well, I did and
I brought it home and the pod itself was to wet yet that it just dried up into nothing. Now I want to know where I can get some of that seed, so that I can grow them in Minnesota. I love lilies and these just caught my eye. Any help that anyone can give me, I would really appreciate it. Really enjoyed your Island. Have a great
day. OrDella

It's hard to tell with common names, but generally Lily of the Nile is an Agapanthus africanus. Strappy leaves and clusters of waxy campanula-shaped flowers in blues or white.

Semi-hardy - injured below 28°F

I've seen them well grown in pots, tho. I believe Wayside Gardens sells them by mail, or you can get seeds from Thompson and Morgan. Both are online.

Not sure what your microclimate is on East Kauai-plant selection depends on local conditions-salt spray, clay v. sand, wind exposure, etc. There a few mainland plants that we can't grow here but many more that we can and lots of tropicals to boot. Angelonia makes pretty little purply spires of orchid shaped flowers, very drought tolerant. Alstoemeria (sp?) grows for me at 1,000', begonias are nice, especially the ones grown for their colorful foliage. HD and Lowes carry a variety of perennials that do well-they have a beautiful airy white euphorbia now that I like-diamond frost I think. Of course agapanthus is gorgeous and easy care. Clivia makes a pretty once a year show. I have some echinacea flowering right now but only a year old so not sure how it will do as a perennial. There is a small red rose that grows locally-some type of china-that grows easily from cuttings if you can find one. Lots of pretty vines to select from as well-mandevilla comes in a white to dark reddish pink range, petrea volubilus or queen's wreath has pretty blue blossoms, wind and drought tolerant, and I see a pretty pink flowering bean vine in a lot of older gardens that I think would look great in a cottage garden. Nasturtiums are great-they self seed so readily the seem like perennials. Daylilys do well-lowes gets crowns in the spring that are relatively inexpensive but small-they grow quickly. There is also a daylily farm on the big island that you can mail order from. Salvias are good for blues and there is a red one available sometimes as well. Herbs are great-lavender, rosemary, oregeno, sages and mint can all be worked in. Four o'clock are a fragrant addition-not sure if they are perennials but if not they self seed. Back to the vines-stephanotis might be nice, morning glory grows fairly rampantly, prince kuhio vine has beautiful magenta flowers. Lantana will give you loads of flowers with minimal fuss, tolerates dry sunny condtions as will vinca. Caladium and the ubiquitous impatiens are good for shady spots. And who could forget-what I think of as a classic tropical cottage garden plant-yesterday, today and tomorrow-flowering shrub-blossoms start off dark blue, pale to white over a few days-unless I have that backwards? Gosh I could go on but I and on, but I guess the easiest thing to remember is that it's like cooking. Take the basic recipe and make local substitutions. I am always intrigued with the idea of applying classic English border design to the tropics. Jazz things up a little with some beautiful variegated Ti, a clump of ginger, maybe a flowering banana or two. Have fun-good luck-post pictures of your results!