Gardening is no exception to the abundance of information you can find on the Internet. Over the past few months, we’ve discovered countless websites, blogs and Facebook pages focused on just about every niche of gardening you can think of.
But let’s face it — Hawaii’s a little different. Like, where do we turn when we want to plant mountain apple when everyone else is talking about the first frost? Or knowing the difference between koa and haole koa? Or how high up to plant naupaka kuahiwi?
Well, we’ve done some digging (no pun intended) and came up with these 5 outstanding online resources for gardening in Hawaii. Enjoy!
Native Plants Hawaii
The name says it all! This impressive University of Hawaii website offers a comprehensive and searchable database of over 230 plants native to Hawaii, including multiple Hawaiian names, common names, photos, characteristics, growth requirements and much more..
…and about that naupaka kuahiwi: it grows in wet forest and open areas from about 555 to over 2,600 feet.
Garden Guy Hawaii
Nick Sakovich spent his golden years as a plant pathologist and official “Citrus and Avocado Farm Advisor” in Southern California before settling in Hawaii.
As the name implies, Garden Guy Hawaii is all about gardening specific to Hawaii, but with a twist: everything Nick blogs about is backed by scientific research — and it’s often his own. For example — wouldn’t you love to learn the secret to growing roses in Hawaii?
Hawaii Gardening Basics
Much of what we know about what works and what doesn’t work in Hawaii’s unique plant ecosystem is thanks to years of research conducted by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH CTAHR).
Their Master Gardener “Hawaii Gardening Basics” page is a stellar resource for both hobbyist and serious Hawaii gardeners. Just a small tip: it’s a bit on the academic side.
Houzz Hawaii Gardening Ideabook
We’ve bragged about this before, and we’re doing it again: Houzz is a treasure for people who love their indoor and outdoor living space. Their Hawaii Gardening articles contains a wealth of visually-rich content on warm-weather and subtropical gardening.
It’s not 100% tailored to Hawaii, but that’s the silver lining: you can find great gardening ideas that most people here don’t know about (like the cartoonish milk bush http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4022201/list/great-design-plant-milk-bush)
Organic Gardening’s Monthly Gardening Calendar for Hawaii
It’s a little ironic, but this Hawaii gardening resource is from Organic Gardening, a major mainland publication.
You’ll find about a dozen pages full of handy, almanac-esque gardening ideas corresponding to each month of the year. Some of the advice is a little general, but it’s definitely intended for us lucky folk who don’t have to fret about cold, snowy winters.