photos from Kauai

10 years ago

Hi all, we recently got back from Kauai so I will share a few photos here that you might enjoy.

We lived on Kauai from '06 to '09 but unfortunately I wasn't into gardening then. Or maybe fortunately, since we lived in a townhome... might have been really frustrating to not have a place to grow stuff :) Anyway, I enjoyed studying these trees on this return visit.

I am curious if each tip only blooms once per year in Hawaii's climate? If so, most of these trees are ancient, given the short spacing between tips. I am also now wondering what causes many trees in good conditions here in FL to grow many, many feet in just months and end up leggy. Is the problem that the trees put out too much growth (genetic, environmental, or both?)- or is it that they simply don't bloom enough... e.g. once a year at best when possibly trees in the tropics are blooming multiple times in the same period? Appreciate any thoughts on that, if anyone has any.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.

I think the next two may be a Daisy Wilcox. I had never seen one of these jumbo flowers before so I was taken aback by the size.

What a jumbled mess! lol:

Example of a hard prune:

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Comments (10)

No-Clue
10 years ago
AMAZING!! Gosh they do get so large. But a feast for the eyes. Thank you so much for sharing that.

Makes me want to go to Hawaii soon! :) Like you I have been to Hawaii many times and I'm sure I saw Plumerias but back then I wasn't into gardening so they were just another tree to me. I could have bought home cuttings but no, nothing. Bummer!
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
10 years ago
Wonderful photos! I hope you had a wonderful time

I probably sound dumb here so bear with me.

My first thought on why you noticed the shorter tips was possible length of day in winter but after doing some checking the difference between Lihue and Orlando on the Winter solstice is only 27 minutes longer for Lihue. I dont know if the cumulative extra time during winter make any difference or not.
Maybe more consistent temperatures, different nutrients in native soils.

its beyond my pay grade to speculate or explain but these are just a few thoughts.

Mike
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irun5k
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks guys-

Mike, interesting thought, I would have actually thought the difference greater than 27 minutes so that is good to know. I wonder if the long, humid FL summers contribute. I swear some of these things grow like bamboo around here.
citizen_insane
10 years ago
What variety is the red one? Do you know?

George
PRO
the_first_kms2
10 years ago
Interesting idea. But a summer day on the mainland has got to be an hour longer. I think its more about the consistent daytime temps and the volcanic soil.

We are frequent travelers to Kauai. Its a great place.
irun5k
Original Author
10 years ago
citizen, I'm not sure but it is a nice one. Most all of these photos were taken on the grounds of Kiahuna Plantation.
PRO
the_first_kms2
10 years ago
Kiahuna is a nice location. There are some great trees along the Poipu Kai Greenbelt about a half mile to the east.

I am pretty sure Kauai is the ancestral home of all of the Moragne cultivars, and Grove Farm cultivars.
rox146
10 years ago
I am very excited as a man who goes to Kauai all the time and brings back cuttings, sold me one he calls Lawaii Beauty as he cut it from a NOID in Lawaii, on the island of Kauai and it is going to bloom in about 1 month. I will post and maybe 1 of you that goes to Kauai a lot can tell me what it is....? roxanne
DelWH
10 years ago
That is correct. Bill Moragne was the manager of the Grove Farm Plantation on Kauai.
jandey1
10 years ago
Ooh, those are spectacular photos! Thanks!

Just a thought, but I've often wondered if here the commercial growers (outside those like JJ's) are just growing those varieties that are most vigorous. They must be the easiest to propagate and sell to garden centers, right? If they're being selected like JJ's, for tight growth habits and good bloom habits, then it's possible they don't grow quickly enough for the nursery trade to make any money on them.

This is just an observation because all I ever see for sale at garden centers are the monster sticks with long distances between leaf nodes. Maybe that's why there are so many fast growers all over Florida, too.