Great Dane: DaDane 03/13/06

March 13, 2006 – I was surprised and pleased by the enthusiastic response last week to the botanicals. The flora we encountered in Hawaii was spectacular, as I'd expected, but certain plants really stole the show. They are shown below. For those among you with a one-track mind (Danes, perhaps?) I promise you that next week you'll be much happier. That's when we'll begin looking at photos from the PARADE.

The unnatural color of the flower spikes grabbed my attention first, then their strange sculptural form. The vine's luminous 3-inch flowers hung down from their host tree in yard-long clusters. They were loaded with nectar and buzzing with bees. Jade Vine is native to the tropical forests of the Philippines, where it relies on bats for pollination. Its natural habitat is rapidly disappearing due to destruction of the Philippine rainforest; it's now considered a threatened species. Luckily Jade Vine has been able to grow in a few other tropical venues, including some areas of Hawaii, but its prospects for long-term survival as a species in the wild is tenuous. I wish we could grow it in South Carolina. I loved it.

I have never seen a more dazzling, exotic and wide-ranging family of flowers than the commercially cultivated PROTEUS that are found flourishing on the cool volcanic slopes of Haleakala in Maui. At first glance you might assume they are tropical flowers but quite the opposite is true. Most proteas demand cool weather and they are fussy about their growing conditions. Among other things, they require long, dry summers and short, wet winters. Although proteas are native to South Africa and Australia, Hawaii has set the world standard for high-quality, farm-grown proteas.

Most of the proteas we encountered in Maui were pretty big, at least 4 to 7 inches in diameter. The range of form and color among the 1,500 named species and varieties was mind-boggling, especially after we spent several hours touring University of Hawaii's Maui Agricultural Research Center (MARC) in Kula. The Kula Station is situated 3,000 feet above sea level and covers 20 acres. It's a working research farm and open to the public. We were the only visitors that day.