HIPS garden tour 7 June 2009

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Hawaii Island Palm Society hosted a garden tour at Ho'owaiwai this afternoon. This is one of the great gardens in Hawaii. It was started by Liloa Willard almost 20 years ago and and is now a mature garden, spreading out over an entire valley and some of the surrounding areas. Several Forum members were in attandance, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of photos. It's getting late here, so I'm just going to get this thread going with a few photos. With more to come tomorrow. (And for the rest of those who were present - feel free to add your photos here, unless you want your own thread...! ).

Entrance from Ka'ie'ie Homestead Road, about two miles up from Highway 19.

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Entrance with a few palms and my wife Karolyn ('KPL' here on PalmTalk) as well as Bob Ferazzi who is in the process of putting up the HIPS sign.

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Within minutes we run into these two guys, Dean (DypsisDean/PALM MOD) and Tim (relarch)

Incidentally, Liloa had exquisite taste - the place is PACKED with Clinostigma samoense...! As well as MANY other palms.

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And the last one for tonight. Karolyn posing in front of a cute little Cyrtostachys renda, one of her favorite palms! Definitely more photos tomorrow.

[Kim]

Oh, this is going to be good... ...awaiting more photos.

[paulgila]

that is definitely the tallest c.renda i have ever seen!

looks like an amazing garden,i am also eagerly awaiting more pix!

[bgl]

OK, OK, simmer down...no need to panic!

The garden consists of two very distinct areas: the main part of the garden, between Ka'ie'ie Road (main entrance - see above) and the main house. This part is reasonably flat and about 7-8 acres or so, I think. The main house has been built right on the edge of a ridge. Coming in from the main garden it's just a few steps up to the house, and a wrap-around lanai. The other side of the house is facing a long and deep valley, and that's the other part of the garden. The property has been subdivided so I'm not sure of exactly how many acres this part consist of, but you don't see any fences after you hike down into the valley and there are many large open areas. Liloa and his wife lived in the main house. There's also a smaller house down in the valley, and their daughter and her husband, Tom, lived there. Tom was the foreman and was responsible for maintaining the garden. Liloa sold the property about 5-6 years ago, and as far as I know, he moved to New Zealand. Incidentally, in my post above where I said "Liloa had exquisite taste etc.", I was referring to the time when Liloa designed and had the garden planted. I have no reason to believe that Liloa is anything but healthy and going strong, wherever he is! And being that he is younger than me, he is still a young man!

This photo is a bit dark, because the weather was a bit unsettled with a few very brief sprinkles when we were there. Verschaffeltia splendida and other palms right in front of the main entrance to the main house.

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Not that it's a big deal, but should have posted this photo before the Verschaffeltia. This is on the way in from the entrance to the main house. A massive row of Dypsis lutescens. But not something that people here would get but so excited about. As a matter of fact, hardly anyone paid any attention to these palms!

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The view from the wrap-around-lanai towards the main open area of the garden. Photos taken about 20-25 minutes apart, giving our group time to walk from the house and down into this area, while being overwhelmed by lots of palms!

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This is actually taken from almost the same spot on the lanai but facing a bit to my left. Gives you an idea of the vegetation here. Pelagodoxa henryana plus lots of other stuff!

[Breadfruit Bill]

The HIPS tour and you're showing the dreaded "Areca Palm"?! Too funny!

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Continuing on the wrap-around-lanai and making a 90 degree turn, we are now facing the valley side. There's a very dramatic drop straight down on this side of the house, and you find yourself looking at eye-level onto a number of palms, with about 20 ft of trunk BELOW you. The bottom of the valley is another 100 ft or so further down. The Pacific Ocean, not visible in any of my photos (partly because of the weather, and partly because there are so many palms in the way) is about 3 miles away, or so.

Here are a couple of Chambeyronia macrocarpa. Not the most exciting palm, but this is what's close to the house!

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Another palm that you can ALMOST touch from the lanai: Pinanga philippinensis

[Breadfruit Bill]

That's more like it

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It gets worse...Warning...warning...Roystonea photo imminent...(well, not in this post, but the next one)!

Tallest Ravenea rivularis I've seen.

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This is the road leading down into the valley. Fairly steep, but not really obvious in this photo. And yes, those are Roystoneas - a popular palm here and these are really good looking specimens!

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All the remaining photos that I'm posting have been taken in the valley, which seems to extend forever. A group of tall Pinanga caesia, with the smaller house in the distance (to the left). Not sure if the other smaller house is a guest house or storage building.

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The two houses are complete opposites - the main house is impressive with the entrance/approach through the semi-formal garden an amazing sight, and the view on the other side out over the valley & Pacific Ocean impressive as well. The small house on the other hand, is almost hidden away in a way that reminds one of fantasy and magic. Here are two photos.

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Probably the least attractive palms on the entire property. A group of Caryotas that are on the final stretch!

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And just beyond those Caryotas, a lake with the newest plantings (many within the last five years or so).

[paulgila]

amazing stuff!!! thanks for sharing,bo!

[Breadfruit Bill]

S P A C I O U S !

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OK, going for the final stretch here...Deckenia nobilis

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Clinostigma samoense are EVERYWHERE! Here's a good looking trio.

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Neoveitchia storckii

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Group of Iriartea deltoidea on the right. And in the distance behind the three guys a few Neoveitchia storckii (one of which was in the previous post).

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A typical view of the walkway/driveway leading up from the lower portion of the valley. Of course Clinostigma samoense and some others.

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Taller palms to the left are Areca catechu with Areca triandra below them, and the Iriartea deltoidea group to the right as well as a couple of Hyophorbe verschaffeltii. And even though they are tiny, those are real people! Actually Dean (PALM MOD) and Matt from Leilani Estates ("moonowl") and his wife Tiffany.

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And the last photo from me (but hopefully others in attendance will have caught some views/palms that I missed): the small house again, showing how it's nicely nestled against the backdrop of the side of the valley.

Incidentally, the main house is on the market in case anyone happens to have $2,260.000 lying around. Even though we (=HIPS) still refer to it by its old name, Ho'owaiwai (given to it by the previous owner, Liloa Willard), the current name is Hale I'o ("House of the Sacred Hawk") and it's being offered by Clark Realty Corporation in Hilo. MLS #198451.

[jdapalms]

Bo, thanks for posting pictures, I recall you talking about this place. Was there a nursery at this location at one time? I missed out on a good HIPS event.

Jerry

[bgl]

Jerry,

Yes, Liloa Willard also ran a nursery on the premises, but began to close it down around 2000. I bought more than 100 palms from them between 1999 and 2001. Got some amazing deals at the end. Bought a whole bunch of overgrown 5G Clinostigma samoense (10 ft tall). Initially, they were $15.50 each, then after a while $5 each! And all my large Dypsis pilulifera came from Ho'owaiwai, even though nobody had a clue what they were (well, we knew they were Dypsis). Initially $5 each, then at the end $1 each. That was also for 5G plants, even though they had been neglected for a while and didn't look good. You wouldn't know that today, almost 10 years later when you look at these palms that are now more than 25 ft tall. $1 each - pretty good investment!

Bo-Göran

[Jeff Searle]

Bo,

I'm sure this was a garden you could spend many days in, and still find new palm species planted everywhere. It looks like the turnout was very good considering the poor weather. Is there any other good collections of cycads, flowering trees or bromeliads, etc. planted there?

Jeff

[bgl]

Sorry, Jeff, didn't notice any of those! And, these events take place no matter what kind of weather we may be having. This place is around the 1100 ft elevation so the chance of "iffy" and unpredictable weather is pretty good. As it happened, only a few occasional raindrops, which definitely was no big deal.

[ariscott]

Wow.... so immaculate. I wonder how long it takes to mow the lawn .

Seriously, nice garden... how big is the property?

Regards, Ari

[realarch]

Thanks Bo for the background and description of that incredible garden. Here are a few more shots you might enjoy. One can never have too many images of palms we don't usually encounter. This garden was truly a slice of paradise. I'll try and post the pics in the order of the tour and the species list that was provided.

Tim

Pritchardia beccariana

Aiphanes minima

Archontophoenix purpurea

[realarch]

Veitchia filifera

Dypsis fibrosa

[realarch]

Here's a shot across the garden. A beautiful swimming pool was on the left. A grove of Clinostigma samoense in the background.

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Looking down from the rear lanai.

I think these were Asterogyne martiana.

Welfia regia. These were huge palms.

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Hydriastele dransfieldii. These were beauties.

Laccospadix australasicus

[realarch]

Here is a grove of Syagrus amara. All of a sudden I'm starting to see these more of these palms. Pretty much blind I guess.