realarch Hosts a Palm Tour in Hilo

[Kim]

Tim Brian (realarch) and Bob Gibbens hosted a home garden tour for the Hawaii Island Palm Society, attracting the maximum capacity of 65 eager visitors. Regular readers of Palm Talk will recognize Tim and Bob’s elegant specimens and the attention to detail. 

The photos barely scratch the surface of all the beauty, but here goes...

Edit: adding captions above each photo. First one, here I'm standing near the top of the driveway. The properties are on a fairly steep slope with great soil at the bottom and challenging pahoehoe lava at the top of the garden. Tall palms in the right of the frame are Euterpe precatoria.

Below, the visitors enter the upper part of the makai garden under Bentinckia condapanna grove. There are many Dypsis downhill from this point.

 

Mauna side of drive is Areca catechu 'alba' with the lemon-yellow crownshaft, a most outstanding palm due to the unusual color.

Below, Tim's Tahina spectabilis from seed collected from the first known flowering and discovery of this species in Madagascar in 2011.

Tree fern from Lord Howe Island (I think that's what Tim said...) and Iriartea deltoidea .

 

[Kim]

Tim and Bob moved from California to Hawaii’s Big Island in 2009 and soon commenced planting on two contiguous 1/2-acre parcels with a shared driveway.

Below 2 photos: Metroxylon amicarum.

 

Below left, Pinanga insignis; right, Neoveitchia storckii.

 

 

 

Below, small palm in foreground: Areca catechu 'dwarf'

 

[Kim]

I just realized I failed to photograph the stunning   Lemurophoenix, not very nice of me after having persuaded Tim and Bob to join me and Bo on an 8-hour heaving boat to get to Masoala Peninsula where we then hiked shoeless through muddy fields and up a very steep, very long hill just to admire the grand-daddy of the known Lemurophoenix population...    Hilo Jason? Got a pic?

Below: stilt roots of Verschaffeltia splendida? (my best guess)

Below, the crowd winding their way through the many narrow garden paths. "A feast for the eyes," said one, in passing.

 

 

Licuala mattanensis var. 'mapu'

 

 

 

[Kim]

Below, the unbelievable Mauritia flexuosa from the wettest areas of the Amazon. Cannot be overwatered. In Tim and Bob's Amazing Garden, they say this grows like something out of the Little Shop of Horrors. It's big. Humongous. Potential height is 35 meters, or 114 ft.  

 

Just another irresistible garden path... (the Lemurophoenix is the big frond buried behind the multi-trunked specimen in the right 1/3 of the photo. 

 

Tim in his element

The small spirit house is a sweet souvenir from a palm trip to Thailand.

Hilo Jason with host Tim Brian

 

 

[Gonzer]

Excellent pictorial Kim. World class garden, and your photography skills are none too shabby either.

[Neil C]

Wow...a true paradise!!!!

Regards Neil

[Palm Tree Jim]

Thanks for sharing Kim!

Incredible to say the least.....

[redant]

stunning

[Peter]

Nice job Kim, and awesome garden Tim!

[palmfriend]

Beautiful - thank you so much for let us taking part!

best regards 

Lars

 

[Darold Petty]

What are the small palms with the giant, orange seeds ?   Thanks ! 

[Hilo Jason]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

What are the small palms with the giant, orange seeds ?   Thanks ! 

Areca ipot, such a cool little palm!

[Hilo Jason]

13 hours ago, Kim said:

I just realized I failed to photograph the stunning   Lemurophoenix, not very nice of me after having persuaded Tim and Bob to join me and Bo on an 8-hour heaving boat to get to Masoala Peninsula where we then hiked shoeless through muddy fields and up a very steep, very long hill just to admire the grand-daddy of the known Lemurophoenix population...    Hilo Jason? Got a pic?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to capture it all in a photo and the sun wasn’t cooperating with me either, but here is my attempt to get it all:

with Bo for some scale:

look at that crownshaft!

 

[Kim]

Thanks for the Lemur pics, Jason! You captured it! 

If you have more photos, please post them. Or anyone else, for that matter...

[Really full garden]

Just beautiful! I really enjoy seeing all the companion plantings as well ,

[Hilo Jason]

31 minutes ago, Kim said:

Thanks for the Lemur pics, Jason! You captured it! 

If you have more photos, please post them. Or anyone else, for that matter...

Sounds good. I will post some of mine later today hopefully. 

You did a great job of capturing the beauty of their garden!  Thanks for posting your pictures! 

[realarch]

Thanks for the photos Kim and you too Jason. It was a blast to have the garden full of Society members enjoying a warm sunny day in Hilo.

Kim, some journeys can only be described as 'epic' and that trip to Masoala to see Lemurophoenix in-situ was EPIC. The hell we went through getting there and the slippery straight up climb in torrential rain was so worth it.

Truly one of the most fullfilling moments of a lifetime. No doubt, we out of our minds.

Tim 

[mike in kurtistown]

I have disappointed some in the past by not taking pictures during HIPS garden tours, so I made sure I took some yesterday in Bob and Tim's garden.  I have twelve of them - maybe three responses of four each would be right. There is lots of overlap with Kim's great pictures. I wouldn't think of competing, but, on the other hand, these are great palms and another good picture of some of the palms just means more fun and pleasure. Tim and Bob have planted things in very viewable locations, so great pictures practically take themselves. So here goes in alphabetical order:

Arenga hookeriana

The grove of Bentinkia condapannas. Dean Ouer says these will eventually reach great heights and produce masses of fruit.

Here is a smaller, but still beautiful, palm, labeled Dypsis marojejya. I have heard that the name might have been changed to Dypsis coursii, but not everyone agrees.

I didn't get all of the fronds of Dypsis robusta in the frame, as it was difficult to get far enough away. Or is that one of the Dypsis saintluciae? I might have a mixup here.

 

[mike in kurtistown]

I had to get really far back to get all of the towering Euterpe precatorias in the frame:

Beautiful emerald green Licuala ramsayi. These were taller than me. An Australian native, these get tall enough to form canopies.

I worked hard to get all of the gigantic Mauritia flexuosa in the frame:

Getting all of the Metroxylon amicaryum in the frame was also a task.

 

[mike in kurtistown]

Several Pelagoxa henryana with huge paddle-shaped leaves. A Pacific palm. native to the Marquesas Islands where it is critically endangered.

Here is Phytelephas tenuicaulis, a large but acualescent and clumping palm. Called the "ivory nut palm". Tim has gifted me with some seeds produced by these trees.

Here is the huge Tahina spectabilis:

Finally, here is Tim and Bob's Voaniola gerardii:

 

[John hovancsek]

I am jealous that I had to miss this. Looks like everyone had a good time 

[Hilo Jason]

Great pictures Mike (and nice meeting you finally) and Kim.  I don't think there can be too many pictures of Tim and Bob's amazing garden.  So I'll post some of mine here.  Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in Hilo, and having a garden tour around the corner from my house is a real treat! 

Approaching the property which consists of 2 lots side by side, 1/2 acre each. 

Talk about an epic driveway! 

[Hilo Jason]

It seems like people shrink when compared with the gigantic palms in this garden.  All of which are less than 10 years old!  Most planted out as small 1 gallon plants! 

Dypsis Betefaka with a colorful crownshaft thanks to just shedding a leaf:

[Hilo Jason]

Marojejya Darianii

Dypsis Robusta

Dypsis Sp Ambanja (Not to be confused with the latest palm going around as Sp Ambanja that is going to be much bigger)

[Hilo Jason]

Not sure of the name of this one, but what a view of the garden! 

and panning over to the left of the same area as above, looking down into the palm jungle! 

And turning to look down the driveway:

One of many Pritchardias in the garden (sorry, don't know the species)

A nice grouping of Dypsis Paludosa / Mirabilis

[Hilo Jason]

Dypsis Sp Dark Mealy Bug

A pair of very nice Chambeyronia Hookeri.  It's nice being able to stand up above them on the driveway and look right at the crownshaft. 

Areca Catechu Alba

Geckos and Anoles are everywhere in the gardens on this part of the island, I love it! 

[Hilo Jason]

Irriartea and a couple of Wettinia

Another epic Pritchardia with small people for scale! 

Cyphospema Tanga! 

Not sure, maybe Basselinia? 

[Hilo Jason]

More small people and giant palms

Archontophoenix Purpuraea

2 (of the 3) Dictyocaryum Lamarckianum

Some colorful Areca Macrocalyx

One of several Pinanga Caesia in the garden

 

[Hilo Jason]

Veitchia Canopy

Clinostigmas showing off

Pinanga Caesia are the 2 colorful palms in the middle of the below photo.  

Pinanga Speciosa (I think)

 

[Hilo Jason]

Perfection!  The combination of colors, textures, pathways, companion plants....  It's amazing! 

[Hilo Jason]

Dypsis Prestoniana x 2

And check out the base of one of these trunks and the roots! 

Dypsis Sp Metallic Ovobontsira

Two Dypsis Carlsmithii

Tiny Dypsis (didn't get the name) with seed

[joe_OC]

Wow! Need to make another trip to see this garden.  So well manicured for a tropical paradise.

[Hilo Jason]

Dypsis Hovomantsina on left, Dypsis Mananjarensis on right

Dypsis Hovomantsina

Mananjarensis up close, interesting how there's about a 6" section with very few mealy bug markings and then they get real heavy

Pinanga Coronata (Blunt leaf form)

Dypsis Robusta next to the Marojejyi Darianii.  Already posted pictures of these (as did Mike and Kim) but this shows them together, side by side

 

[Hilo Jason]

And one last picture, looking up at part of the garden with the Areca Catcechu Alba and the Irriartea above them. 

Thanks again to Tim and Bob for opening up their beautiful garden for the palm society here to tour.  

On a personal note, Tim's garden was a huge influence for my garden in the making as we are in the same part of Hilo and at similar elevation which means we get the same rainfall and temperatures.  Tim and Bobs garden also showed me what could be done here with a smaller lot in town.  It really is an incredibly beautiful garden and I'm thankful to have them as neighbors!  

[bgl]

Tim and Bob, thanks a lot for an outstanding Hawaii Island Palm Society event & garden tour.  Perfect weather, a great crowd and your absolutely outstanding garden - in other words a perfect afternoon! And Kim, Jason and Mike, great photos!

Bo-Göran

[The Gerg]

Oh man......   ( That’s me being jealous. )

Ok, maybe envious is a less ugly word than jealous. But wow, stunning. If that was my garden I would go out there early Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and walk around the garden all weekend looking for new leaf openings or leaf sheaths about to fall off etc. and not go back into the house until Sunday evening. My kids would be wondering “where the hell did dad go”?

Although I now feel worse about my own garden (), thanks to everyone for posting their pictures.

Spectacular job @realarch.

Greg

[realarch]

Thanks Jason and Mike for the additional photos. Nice to see photo perspectives of the garden other than my own. Wow......is that my garden?

Greg, thanks for the post, and yes, I spend a lot of time in the garden doing maintenance or just looking. (gooning out) 

Your garden is pretty top notch as well, so I'm sure you know what I mean.

Tim

[Dypsisdean]

Probably the nicest garden on the island I have yet to visit. Obviously I'm going to have to make time during one of my infrequent trips to Hilo side. I can't believe it's been 10 years already.

Thanks everyone for all the pics.

[Daryl]

Awesome Garden Tim and Bob! Thanks for all of the photos everyone! Gives me something to aspire to with my garden!

[LJG]

On 8/12/2019 at 11:57 AM, realarch said:

Thanks for the photos Kim and you too Jason. It was a blast to have the garden full of Society members enjoying a warm sunny day in Hilo.

Kim, some journeys can only be described as 'epic' and that trip to Masoala to see Lemurophoenix in-situ was EPIC. The hell we went through getting there and the slippery straight up climb in torrential rain was so worth it.

Truly one of the most fullfilling moments of a lifetime. No doubt, we out of our minds.

Tim 

Amazing garden Tim.