Many ornamental, introduced plants have beautiful flowers and leaves but be careful! There are many documented problems for Hawai’i’s natural habitat caused by introduced species. [Here is one scholarly article and another article. ] Some of the problems include competition for resources, plant diseases, and actual smothering or strangling of plants and trees! [See May 26, 2016 - Roots and Vines - travelers and stranglers]
For my blog’s purposes, there are other simpler human problems as one incorporates ornamental plants into yards. These cautions come from my own observations and experiences.
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| Golden cup flower / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
The Caution: Like any vine, if left unmonitored they can overtake other plants. [See May 26, 2016 - Roots and Vines - travelers and stranglers]
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| Red ginger / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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| Torch ginger / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
These red flowers are of course the wonderful ginger flowers. These reproduce through stolons. These underground roots are what you buy in the store as fresh ginger. If you have ever dealt with fresh ginger, you know it is tough and branches quite a deal.
The Caution: Picture trying to cut and remove those tough, branching roots underground as you attempt to control it. Also, when we had a Red Ginger plant, the flowers were filled with ants!
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| Agapanthus / my yard / May 2016 |
The purple is Lily-of-the-Nile or Agapanthus. They make beautiful beds when their upright blooms appear once a year.
The Caution: If the plants are not in a raised bed, it is very difficult to keep out invading plants like vines and grass. The Agapanthus thick bottom stems grow very close together making it hard to weed out invaders. Also when the leaves are broken, they produce a dripping sap which causes me a lot of itching. When the area is scrubbed, the nature of the sap causes the infected area to spread on your arm!
The Bougainvillea has gloriously colored flowers. They appear in vibrant and varied colors.
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| Bougainvillea, magenta / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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| Bougainvillea, white / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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| Bougainvillea, orange / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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Bougainvillea, double / Aiea Heights area / May 2016
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| Bougainvillea hedge / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
Bougainvillea make great hedges.
The Caution: They have a very spiky thorn throughout; thus their usefulness as hedges! Also, due to our long growing season and rains, the plant can grow wild and I have seen them engulfing trees.
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| Croton species / my yard / May 2016 |
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| Croton species / my yard / May 2016 |
A prevalent yard favorite is Croton plants. I remember the colors from hedges in our yard when I was young. They provided beautiful backdrops for photos.
The plant comes in such a variety of amazing fall colors. Different species of the plant also have different leaf sizes.
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| Croton species / Aiea Heights yard / May 2016 |
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| Croton species / Aiea Heights yard / May 2016 |
The Caution: Croton plants are a milk-producing plant. So when cutting / trimming the plant, each break of their non-woody branches releases a sticky sap. For some people the sap can cause an itchy and / or burning rash.
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| Red Spurge / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
Another colorful leaved plant is this maroon-leaved plant. It has pretty delicate leaves. I believe it is related to Poinsettia.
The Caution: It produces an even more toxic sap. After trimming this plant, my husband developed a terrible burning rash. Of course, everyone may not have this reaction but the irritation isn’t really worth taking the chance and planting it!
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| Monstera deliciosa / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
The last is this monster, in name and literally - Monstera deliciosa that is! The reason for the name…
The leaves are so large and occur in a beautiful pattern. It is no wonder the leaves are often used to decorate for events.
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| Monstera deliciosa / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
The Caution: As mentioned before, due to a long growing season and rains, the plant can grow out of control. Like the Golden Pothos, I have seen the Monstera vine climbing up and overcoming tall trees! [See May 26, 2016 - Roots and Vines - travelers and stranglers]
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| Array of plants / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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| Bougainvillea bush / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
This yard has a perfectly controlled Bougainvillea bush. Alas, many of us do not have the patience, or dedication, to keep up this level of “control.”
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| Ironwood tree / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
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| Ironwood tree branch / Aiea Heights area / May 2016 |
The yard even includes an unbelievably shaped Ironwood tree. The Ironwood tree can grow to be very tall and even cause erosion problems, as at Kailua Beach. [See March 31, 2016 - What is a winter beach?]
Continue “watching out for nature…” And make sure you if you have any of these plants “tame” them so they don’t overcome your yard or surrounding areas and protect yourself from the saps if you have sensitive skin!
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