Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden

Hi‘iaka's Healing Herb Garden, LLC
Winter 2007-2008 Newsletter

Even in winter, we harvest bananas, lemons, limes and noni.

A Special Visitor in February

On February 15, I was extremely pleased to welcome Kathi Keville, renowned herbalist and aromatherapy expert, and Director of the American Herb Association. She visits our island often and loves it here, and this was her second visit to the Garden. Her newest book, co-authored with Christopher Hobbs, is Women’s Herbs, Women’s Health—it looks fantastic!

The American Herb Association promotes the understanding and ecological use of medicinal herbs and aromatherapy. Membership is open to anyone interested in herbalism and includes a quarterly newsletter written by professional herbalists. Visit their web site at www.ahaherb.com.

It was fun to wander through the Garden and talk “genus and species” with her, and pick her brain for information about the plants that I grow and love.

Kathi used my computer to check her e-mail.

Students and WWOOFers

I continue to host volunteers from the “Willing Workers on Organic Farms” program, and was fortunate to have two students from March 1-15th.

Students Rick and Janet Hindman, from Alberta, Canada, make an offering to
Volcano Goddess Pele at Volcanoes National Park.

Ben Hirsch and Susan Lubbers volunteered for 2 weeks in February.

Liz Parsons and Sara Larrimer were TOO much fun in early February!

Sara Holt and Paul Arredondo helped out during the class.

Coqui Frog Conference

Members of the various islands’ Invasive Species Committees held a panel discussion

Coqui frog experts gathered in Hilo Feb. 7 through 9 for the First International Conference on the Coqui Frog, a very noisy invasive species from Puerto Rico that has taken over parts of Hawai‘i. I attended as a reporter for Hawai‘i Island Journal and my article appeared in the March 1 issue of our only independent newspaper. www.hawaiiislandjournal.com

This conference drew together scientists and other experts from as far away as Pennsylvania and Australia. Other problematic amphibians were also discussed, such as the Cuban tree frog and the highly invasive Bufo, or cane toad. University of Hawai‘i at Hilo researchers and other Big Island experts presented specific findings about population density in Hawaiian forests, skin hydration, sound levels, parasites that might be helpful in controlling their numbers, and techniques for controlling this invader.

The Conference did not focus on control or eradication: It included primarily reports of the scientific research conducted by the world’s experts. Knowledge is power and if we can learn more about coqui frogs and other bothersome invaders, we can learn to control them without the use of citric acid, lime, or other types of chemical controls.

Lava Flow Gardening Classes and Other Workshops

My “Lava Flow Gardening” workshops continue to be well-attended and I do enjoy teaching people how to create bountiful gardens on their properties that in many cases contain only rock, as mine did.

Other classes that I’ve held recently include January 12’s “Beautiful Skin With Herbs,” which an amazing young girl attended with her mother.

The herbalist and the budding herbalist with avocado mask
on our faces in my kitchen/workshop.

It Was a Chilly Winter

Usually, I add one blanket to my bed in December and remove it by the beginning of February. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but this year the blanket (and a second one at times!) remained through most of March.

We had more snow on Mauna Kea this winter than I can
ever remember! This was taken from my front porch.

Visitors From the South

Na‘alehu is the southernmost town in the United States and about an hour and a half drive from the Garden. I was pleased to welcome a group from the Na‘alehu Main Street Association on January 15 for a very interesting tour of the Garden. These folks have built and proudly maintain a garden similar to mine in the southern part of our island. It specializes in native Hawaiian plants and they are becoming instrumental in teaching people about the wonders of these rare and endangered plants, just as I have been doing for over nine years now. www.naalehu.org

Members of Na‘alehu Main Street at the end of their visit to the Garden.

A New Family Member

Thanks to my recent volunteer Sara Larrimer, I am now the proud new owner of a brand new dog named Jackson. He’s a two year-old mutt with perhaps Sharpei and Pointer genes mixed in with the other unknown breeds of dog he surely possesses! Aside from being an escape artist (which I quickly learned about), he’s a good boy, very mellow, and loves to play with my tenants’ pup, ‘Awa, who is a frisky 60-pound one year-old now. Although Jackson weighs 10 pounds more, ‘Awa is definitely the aggressor! E komo mai, Jackson! Welcome to our happy home!

Jackson and ‘Awa love to play together on my lanai.

Soon, a Brand New Me!

I’m gearing up for my second hip replacement surgery May 12, so by the time you receive our next newsletter, I will be bouncing around the Garden like a teenager again!

Upcoming Workshops

Beginning July 5, I’ll start offering my herbalism workshops once again. Here’s a sampling of what’s coming up:

July 5:    Healthy Fourth of July Barbecue
July 12:    Beautiful Skin With Herbs
July 19:    Tinctures for Glowing Health
July 26:    Essentials of Hawaiian Herbalism
Aug. 2:    Noni Needn't Taste Nasty
Aug. 9:    Herbal Teas and Decoctions
Aug. 16:    What is ho‘okupu?
Aug. 23:    Herbal Healing Baths
Aug. 30:    How To Grow Hawaiian Healing Plants
Sept. 6:    Stress Reduction with ‘Awa, Chamomile, Valerian, Liliko‘i

For more info:
www.hiiakas.com/workshops-2008

To order Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens, visit Amazon.com or www.authorhouse.com.

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