Kenny, thank you for the awesome tour. I've spoken quite a bit with Derrick and he is the nicest guy. Would love to visit his plantation one day. Thank you so much for the tour, and the great pics - I almost felt like I was there!

Do you happen to remember what the big yellow bloom is?

thanks, Kenny

Way cool Kenny! Actually, Derrick is already selling his big rooted stock on Facebook. I got four rooted plants from him last week, Samoan Sunrise, Nassau, Hilo Beauty, and Wailuku.
Plus free shipping to the Mainland.

Simidude,

The big yellow bloom is Aztec Gold. His AG blooms are very big and has perfect yellow flowers. He's giving me one of his rooted AG.

DelWH,

Yes Derrick told me he's been selling his rooted stocks on facebook but he's still trying several methods getting them cleared for export. He told me USDA wants to hold the rooted stocks for at least one week for quarantine. So until he obtained his own AG stamp, he has to try something else.

Kenny

OOooooh Kenny!!

What a special tour !! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

Derick seems like a wonderful person and i will say that you have a great set of "Antlers" there!! ;-)

Good luck with them all and i cant wait to see your loot when you get home..

Enjoy your trip and will you do one thing for me?

Take in a beautiful sunset for me!!

Mahalo!!

Laura

Wow Kenny!! That's awesome! Thank you for sharing your tour I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait for more pictures when you come back. That Hilo Beauty is to die for! I don't have any reds so that's on my list to get (although I *think* I might have that one but not sure... LOL).

Now WHO pray tell is Derrick? :) Not that I need to learn of another source... I do plenty of damage this past year. But I'm sure I can always find room for a few more cuttings heh?

Have a wonderful trip and soak it all in!

Received my first cuttings from Derrick a few weeks ago and as I unpacked all I could think of is Wow!

Being new here I always have to wonder who are they referring to in some of the posts. Derrick = A Piece of Paradise

Here is a link that might be useful: A piece of paradise.

Derrick's prices are the best. Around $6 or so, and almost always at least 2 or 3 tips. I got an Aztec Gold from him that was actually 6 tips.

Kenny I agree with everyone here. I'm so jealous !!! Thanks for taking us along. GREAT cuttings. I've heard nothing but good thing about Derrick and his cuttings. May have to try some in spring. Thanks for adding to the addiction. Peg

Great to see and read you are enjoying it. Don't be bashful about posting pics. I hope you enjoyed some Dole Pineapple whip. Its a big hit with my girls. Over the years I have bought quite a few cuttings from there. They used to be inside and only had a small selection. I think they set up this kiosk in 2009 or 10. Kara is the business partner that runs the kiosk and is great and enjoys what she does. I'm a big fan of their operation and will continue to support them.

I don't know Derrick but the next time I'm there I try to meet him. He sounds like our kind of people.

Laura - here is something to tie you over until Kenny posts his...

Kenny, I hope the TSA doesn't stop you for trying to carry on weaponized botanicals, lol! That Ruby Too could smack a Rottweiler around. What a wonderful gift! He sounds like a great guy.

Thanks for posting those terrific photos. Do you remember what that beautifully-shaped center tree in front of the kiosk in the top photo is?

Boy I'd love to have that Waimea cutting in that photo, I would of snitched that baby up in a heart beat!

I wish I lived in a more warmer climate where you can just walk into a place and purchase a cutting or a rooted plumeria.

It's my life long dream to visit Hawaii one day. *Wishful Thinking* ;)

WOW that dark red one looks beautiful! :)

Hi everyone!

I'm back from Honolulu! All of my plumies came back safely. I brought back 3 from JL Nursery, 5 from Derrick, 1 from an ABC store and 1 from the airport (had to get that last one). So basically I was hoarding 10 cuttings back to the mainland.

Friday (the day before my departure) I went to a UPS store to get a box big enough to fit the huge antlers I got from Derrick.

Unfortunately, I had to make a difficult decision and cut off this inflo

I found a 24x24x12 box for around $17 from UPS for my cuttings.

Then at the airport, things went surprisingly well. This is my box of plumies after it passed USDA inspection and cleared for export. I decided to check the box in with the airline for $25 instead of shipping it USPS.

...and today (Sunday) after I unpacked, here is my "loot of plumies"

Laura,

So sorry, when I got your request, it was already my last night in Oahu. I went through my stash of pictures from both phone and camera, I couldn't find any sunset shots.

When I checked in at the airport around 5pm Saturday, I had the chance to take some very beautiful shots of the airport at sunset.

I think these give perfect meanings to Hawaii, the Aloha/Rainbow state :)

Next time I go, I promise you'll see plenty of sunset pictures ;)

Jen,

Yes! That Ruby Too cutting is the beast! The potted plants in front of the stand are Dwarf Singapores. I remember this because we were talking about how one is losing all its leaves and the other is still green.

I learned how JL roots his cuttings (in either 100% perlite or 100% cinder). I also learned that Cindy Schmidt blooms twice a year and JL Black Ruby blooms very late (right now).

Thanks everyone! I can attest that Derrick is a very nice guy from meeting him in person. I took a chance with him when he first started his eBay listings back in May. Right now his feedback score on eBay is 131 (100%). You won't be disappointed with his cuttings, I highly recommend him (not trying to enable anyone here)!

I will end this post with a shot of the iconic king Kamehameha I statue in downtown Honolulu.

I'll post pictures of plumies later this week!

Kenny

WOW! what a good collection you picked up! You will have to keep us posted with your rooting progress with them :D

Kenny. I loved these pics!!!. I kick myself everytime when I realize I could have gotten some nice ones when i was there in '06. Only problem is I wasnt into plumeria then. Man i missed out.

The Puu looks fantastic!! Maybe this spring when Southwood gets their JJ's in when can meet up.

mike

Kenny,

Great pics!!!

Thanks everyone!

As promised, here are some shots of plumeria trees in Oahu:

This is one of the obtusas in front of my hotel:

Koko Crater's Plumeria Grove. There are so MANY plumeria trees in bloom here. Some of these have tags on them, others don't. If I don't remember their names or if they're untagged, I won't put their names on the photos.

Daisy Wilcox

Lots of broken branches on the grounds around here:

I found a Tillie Hughes seedpod on the ground

Mela Matson

Low growing branches with seedpods everywhere!

Jeannie Moragne

JM seedpod

Looks like a newly planted Kauka Wilder

Grove Farm

White Shell

Paul Weissich

another PW

Plastic Pink

Nebel's Gold

I think this one is Lei Rainbow. There are a lot of these in the grove

Found another seedpod on the ground

Scott Pratt

This must be another newly planted tree. There's no tag so I couldn't ID it. Could it be Wildfire?

close up

This is one of my favorites, I like its dark pink color. I couldn't find a tag

More Jeannie Moragne

Lots of flowers on this one

Kaneohe Sunburst

Irma Bryant

Hilo Beauty and Irma Bryant

Here's one plumeria tree full of flowers on a residential street of Honolulu. I was on my way to the Punchbowl

Plumeria trees on the Punchbowl ground

Love this red one, so many flower buds!

Those are all the good pictures I found in my stash. Hope you enjoy! ;-)

Kenny

Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing. I will be visiting Hawaii in April and I'm looking forward to bringing back some cuttings. Is it hard to get the cuttings through customs?

Hi Mike,

I picked a beefy cutting of Puu Kahea for you. It has 3 tips (2 of them are new tips). I think the other long tip will bloom next season. You will be happy with this cutting!

Hi Dave,

Getting cuttings through USDA wasn't bad. I wanted to know what to expect so I called them a day before my departure. They told me to rinse the cuttings really well and make sure there's no dirt on them.

Those bagged cuttings I got from JL Farm, ABC store, and the airport have already been inspected and have USDA stamps on them. You can definitely pack them in your carry-on bag and easily get through all check points.

If you get fresh cuttings without the stamp, you will have to do what I did. Make sure they are all clean before getting them through USDA at the airport. My box only had to to through the scanner at the USDA inspection station. I told them I have fresh plumeria cuttings, no roots and no dirt on them before I set the box on the conveyor belt. It sounded easy but my flight was on the weekend, so I don't know what they do on the other days. My best advice to you is bring packing tape. If they need to inspect your box, you will have something to seal your box after the inspection is done.

Kenny

Kenny, Great shots! You found some real beauties. I really love the "This is one of my favorites, I like its dark pink color. I couldn't find a tag " Too bad you couldn't find out what it was. Thanks for posting them for us on our no bloom winter days. Peg

Thanks for the tips Kenny

WOW! so many trees! that plumeria grove must have been an awesome experience! I hope u gave some of those seedpods a home? :P also with all those branches on the ground its so tempting to just take a few huh :P

Hi Sarah,

Yes red plumerias are my favorites! That's why I bought a rooted Hilo Beauty from Derrick (hopefully I'll remember to post a pic when it gets here).

I didn't take any seedpods back with me from Koko Crater so I left them there. I found an opened seedpod that was still attached to the inflo however. There were a few seeds left in there so I helped getting them to the ground so there'll be more plumeria trees in the grove the next time I visit :P

Hi Kim,

I think Matt (1-stop-aloha) still sells rooted Waimeas on eBay. You might be able to pick one up from him before he closes shop and moves to CA.

Kenny

Yes, Matt still sells the Waimeas on eBay, but with the bidding, get ready to shell out around $50 or more for one. I've bid on 2 of them, but had to drop out when the bids went north of $30..There's still the $11.50 shipping on top of that.

Matt has a 12" 2 tip Waimea rooted cutting right now with 5 days left on the the auction. 1 bid right now for $9.99

Hi Kenny,

Im speechless...

Those are some beautiful pictures that you have from the Plumeria Grove.

Thank you for the great pic of the rainbow at the airport. I really love that picture!! Thanks! ;-)

What a wonderful trip... I especially like the pic from PunchBowl.. How appropiate for Veteran's Day!!

Happy Veteran's Day to all of the servicemen and women..

Thank you for your service to our country!!

K.. I LOVE that Sunset pic.. makes me want to just pull up a chair and stare at my screen for a few hours.

Love those Hawaiian sunsets..

Glad you are home safe and sound Kenny!!

Nice "loot" too!!!

Are you going to root them now? or wait unitl spring?

Keep us posted on how they do for you!!

Take care,

Laura

Thanks for the heads up guys but I can't do anymore purchasing this season -- too cold. Tonight the lows is suppose to be 27F. Next spring / summer perhaps. ;)

Kenny I am just in awe of that cutting. It beats the heck out of the overpriced, teeny tiny one I got from Exotic Plumeria that I killed.

Mike

Great pictures. So glad you had the opportunity to enjoy it.

Anyone else think the one that you said is your favorite and that Peg also likes is a "Cerise?" Just take a look at the JL Kiosk pictures and there is one on the display.

At one point they were having problems with some sort of boring beetle infestation in the Plumeria Grove. Unknown if its still a problem but if they are planting new trees perhaps its being managed. Long story short I think you made the right decision to not take any broken branches with you.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

I still kick myself wondering what possessed me to move back to Texas! And back to non-union hospitals.

Congrats on the new plants.
Tally HO!

K - Wow that's "Cerise"? Thanks for the id. I have one of those that I just rooted. Yea!!! Peg

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! The weather was really beautiful here last week. I think our high on Thanksgiving day was 75F.

So on "Black Friday" I received 2 packages I've been waiting for all week. One from Derrick and one from Matt. I know it's getting close to winter time but if the weather permits, I must round up a few more plumies!

When I visited Derrick earlier this month, his rooted Special Hilo Beauty caught my eye. Even though I already have 2 Hilo Beauty, I just couldn't say no to this one. So I paid $40 for postage to get it shipped to me (and you'll see why it's worth every dime).

Derrick told me he had broken off a small tip when he potted the cutting but another new tip eventually grew out! It's a bit unsightly since it branched out at an angle. I think you can train branches to grow straight correct?

Also, last week I got around to potted the 10 cuttings I brought back from Hawaii.

Mike, I hope you don't mind I potted yours too. It didn't feel right leaving it out in all the rooting fun. Hopefully by spring, it'll come to you with roots!

That's all for now!

Kenny

Kenny that's awesome! You're saving it from me killing it Haha.

Thanks!!

Mike