#waiamea

[bluehawaiiphoto]

Eddie Would Go and We Will Go Tomorrow on the Island Tour. Bring those big waves on. #waves #bigwaves #bigwavesurfing #waiamea #quicksilver #eddiewouldgo

[garden-improvements]

Hawai'ian Botanic Gardens & LA

I'm back from my winter vacation and back to blogging. 

In spite of the notion that I would blog as I travelled, I was having too much fun exploring Hawai'i and California to find the time. Needless to say, I have several more visits to botanic gardens under my belt and an array of exciting plants to share with you. 

I feel bad for not learning more about each one but as you will see there were an awful lot! I hope you enjoy the images and feel inspired to seek these plants out on your travels. 

It's going to be a pleasure for me to look back over these images as I post them and to enjoy the blue skies I was growing so accustomed to whilst away. Britain seems very, very grey this month!

Hawai'ian Hibiscus

Screw pine - Pandanus tectoris - grows with the sun

Blue marble tree fruit Elaeocarpus angustifolius

Blue marble tree fruit - Elaeocarpus_angustifolius

Gorgeous coloured fruits on an unknown palm

Unknown tree, may have a label image somewhere but amazing flowers.

Now this plant we loved but we never did find out anything about it.

 Please let me know if you do!

Cannon ball tree

Cannon balls!

Some quaint plant labels in an LA nursery

One of the largest Moreton Bay Fig trees at Rancho los Alamitos, LA

Another beautiful flowering tree of unknown name

It's flowers were already arranged by passers by

Bright red stems of the Sealing wax palm

Heliconia flowers (ginger)

Palm

Fascinating palm fruits

Close up - wish we could have taken one of these to cast for garden projects

Pandanus tectoris

Giant palm

Another blooming tree

And that lovely unknown plant again with the almost origami like flower

Here's a super Poinsettia, of typical size for this neighbourhood in L.A.

I'm a sucker for fun examples of topiary and California is rife with them.

The residents here must have planned this, right? Or maybe they just like spheres.

I like the base of this piece, it'd be great if this was actually the same plant. I'm not sure it is though.