Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden

Volume 6, Number 1 Fall 2004

Hau`oli Makahiki Hou! Celebrating Six Years in Hawai`i

That means Happy New Year in Hawaiian and I truly hope that you and your loved ones have a fabulous 2005.

When I look back to 1998 when I first moved to Hawai`i with two dogs and two cats and a lot of plans and hope for the future, my former life in California seems so recent. But when I look at the Garden and all of the building that has been done in those years, I realize that it has been a long time and that the Garden especially is a true miracle and a testament to the tenacity of the hardy plants that are able to survive the drenching rains and parching droughts we sometimes get here.

As this year comes to an end, I find myself developing new goals for myself and the Garden. My interest in the invasive plants that threaten our precious native vegetation has turned into a passion as a result of the research I conducted while writing my book. I plan to expand on that knowledge and to help educate others about this serious problem that continues to plague this tiny piece of earth in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

A Year Full of Great Guests, Students and Interns

2004 has been a great year for the students, guests and volunteers who have stayed with me at the Garden. All of them have contributed greatly to the Garden and provided fun for me. I am especially grateful to my WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) volunteers, the best workers in the world, and the guests and students who help to support the operations of Hi`iaka's Garden.

In November I hosted Brandon McDonald from Maine and Lela Nickel from Maui. Currently I'm fortunate to have Tsaida Springfield and KC Wilson from Edmonton, Alberta as hard-working volunteers.

Update on the Publication of Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens

If I had known how long and difficult the publication process can become, I don't know what I might have done differently during the writing phase of my book. Suffice it to say, I still do not know the date this book will appear on the shelves of our local Border's Books! I'm looking into self-publishing and discussing photographs and illustrations with a couple of people, dealing with sample contracts, royalty percentages, and all kinds of other "not so fun" kinds of things. But diligence will pay off and I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, I have spun off several chapters of the book and am offering them for sale in a simple xeroxed form at my gift shop and through friends at the local farmer's market.

Recent Plant Additions

As the number of traditional Western herbs and other species that are not adapted to a tropical climate decreases in the Garden, I am adding as many native Hawaiian plants with healing properties as I can find. Thanks to the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona, I have added or replaced these natives this quarter:

* Hala-pepe, an endangered member of the Dracena family (Pleomele aurea)
* Koki`o ke`o k`eo, a fragrant white hibiscus native to Kauai (Hibiscus waimeae)
* Ko`oloa`ula, the beautiful endangered red ilima (Abutilon menziesii, Hibiscus family)
* Kului, a member of the Amaranth family whose silvery leaves have been used in lei-making (Nototrichium sandwicense)
* Papala, a tree whose flammable branches were used in fireworks displays in ancient times. (Pisonia brunouniana, Amaranth family)
* Pa'u o Hi'iaka, Hi'iaka's skirt, a trailing vine with beautiful small blue flowers in the morning glory family. (Jacquemontia ovalifolia). I promise not to kill this one!

I've also started seeds of the following herbs, to replace plants that have not fared so well. Thanks to Rolfe and Janet Hagen of The Thyme Garden seed company in Oregon, who traded me these seeds for some Noni seeds I sent to them:

* Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorum; called Jie-geng in Chinese medicine)
* Mexican cilantro or culantro, used for medicine in the Peruvian Amazon (Eryngium foetidum)
* Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris)
* St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
* Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum)
* Yarrow (Achillea millefolium); one more attempt to get it established in the Garden!

Amazing Day at the Volcano

On November 27, guest Lela Nickel and volunteer Brandon McDonald accompanied me on a trip to the volcano for sightseeing and to make offerings to Madam Pele, the volcano goddess, and her youngest sister, the goddess Hi`iaka, after whom my Garden is named and dedicated. While we were at the Hi`iaka crater, the most beautiful rainbow appeared right above it, as if it were Hi`iaka welcoming us and thanking us for remembering her.

Thanks Again to The Blue Crescent School

Several times during this year, Susan Perri and her students of the Blue Crescent School of Botanical Medicine studied here and provided valuable help to us in maintaining the Garden, harvesting kava kava, and other tasks. Susan has moved on to another venture: a graduate program in medical anthropology on the East Coast. We will miss her and her wonderful students!

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