Pauline Sullivan's Hawaiian Garden - Slideshow

Dypsisdean

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Jerry Andersen and I took a quick trip by Pauline's the other day. Jerry, as always, was on the lookout for special rare seeds. And I was tagging along with my trusty camera to share this garden with the rest of you.

SLIDESHOW
 
Pauline's estate seems like a good candidate for a collective retirement home for elder palm freaks. I would consider throwing down for a share of the property to while away my last years. I should be in full blown dimentia by then and probably think I have passed on to some lovely afterlife. Nice job Dean, keep the slideshows coming.
 
Dean,

The video was pretty good. Pauleen has an amazing garden, but I have to say, I was pretty shock to see the poor condition of most all the palms in the video. The palms, especially the Sealing Wax looked really aweful and in danger of dieing. Is no one staying on top of the fertilizing and watering there? I hope someone will address this and soon. It's a shame how the garden looks now compared to a few years ago.


Jeff
 
Yes Jeff,

If you read my intro, I mentioned this.

It was depressing seeing the beginning of a slow death. Pauline's son is coming over soon to address this issue. Most everything could easily be brought back, but soon it will be too late. With the soil (cinder) she has planted everything in, the fertilizer and water don't last very long. It is extremely porous.

I don't know how many palms are there, but eleven acres is a chore to keep fertilized, weeded, trimmed, and watered.
 
Dean,

Sorry, I guess I just glazed over it when I read the intro. And I was just putting my thoughts into words. Well, I'm glad to hear her son will address this soon, as I would hate to see this garden slip further and further away.
 
No problem.

I've had the misfortune to witness the dismantling, slow death, or abandonment of a few nice gardens now. As much as we like to believe that others appreciate our gardens enough to want and take care of them, the truth is that we are ultimately the only ones that appreciate them enough to expend the time and money to keep them going.

Even the major botanical gardens have trouble making ends meet. It's a shame, but that's the way it is. It makes you think of your future and mortality when you see another fine garden "passing away."

But that is part of the magic of a garden as well. Like each of us, it is a living breathing entity, that unfortunately won't be around forever. But that doesn't mean we can't love it, and enjoy it while it is here. And perhaps that is why some of us appreciate a special garden so much.
 
Dear Dean:

As much as I wish you weren't, you are right on the money! You must be quite a guy... Yeah, those of us so inclined... expend time, energy and momentary means to keep our garden evolving. We know, but don't want to believe it will not live on into infinity.

You just gave us that rude awakening, we all know but aren't anxious to acknowledge; everyone doesn't share our wonderment of growing and sharing our ever changing gardens. So we must all try to enjoy the magic every moment we can.

Sending love to you and yours... cause unfortunately you say it like it is!
 
If thats Pauleens place looking like cr*p, I'd faint to see in "top" condition!!
Thanks!
Bill
 
Mahalo for sharing the slideshow.

RE Palmnerd’s reply “Pauline's estate seems like a good candidate for a collective retirement home for elder palm freaks. I would consider throwing down for a share of the property to while away my last years. I should be in full blown dimentia by then and probably think I have passed on to some lovely afterlife. Nice job Dean, keep the slideshows coming.”

The Hawai’i Island real estate market has suffered the same downturn as mainland U.S., with many foreclosures / price reductions / very low volume of sales transactions. We are beginning to see some early signs of recovery in some parts of the Kona side residential real estate market, such as Hualalai Resort where high-end buyers are now shelling out some of their cash reserves to purchase single family luxury homes at reduced prices between 5 to 10 million.

Someone’s mailing list (maybe it’s the PSSC Palm Society Southern California chapter that I’m also a member of) is being used by Pahoa Properties realtor Joy Dillon to snail-mail me periodic glossy color photo postcard listings seeking a buyer for Pauline’s 11 acre palm place in sunny Kapoho. The asking price (which I think was over $2 million at one time) has been reduced significantly over time, down to $1.2 million last year, and then down to $799,000 on the last mailing I received postmarked 7-7-2009. Any palm nut who is motivated / interested could make a low offer and probably get the property at a really reduced price – as Palmnerd suggests, the property could be developed into a great collective retirement home for elder palm freaks. Maybe they could also add some B&B capacity for short-term rental use by other palm nuts / IPS members who are visiting Big Island.
 
It's funny many things look in need of water and fertilizer but almost all of the big Dypsis look remarkbly well.
 
Good observation Shon. I noticed that to.

Probably a function of the distinct dry season many Dypsis seem to endure. Of course you would expect those palms in a constantly wet environment, like some of the Euterpes and Cyrtostachys to suffer first. And that is exactly what was observed.
 
excellent slide show.

Some mulch would help those palms! Mulch helps in droughts. But, that is a lot of work to mulch all that. but good luck with it.

Thanks for the photos.
 
Dean:
Thanks for the great slide show. It has been several years since I visited Pauleen's hawaiian garden and the growth is remarkable. I am green with envy.I wish I could identify many of the palms pictured. You photography is amazing.
Thanks!
 
Thanks Jeff,

I can't wait to do your garden again next time I'm in town. I have learned so much since then, with new camera and lenses to boot.

A Palmorama of your place would be a winner. I hope you saw the ones I did of Mardy's.
 
I second that DeanO. I'd love to see Jeff's place I have an image burned into my head, from a picture taken at Jeff's place, of a Euterpe with particularly droopy leaflets. Get about 27 shots of that plant.
 
Matt, those were Kentia palms with the droopy leaflets at Jeff's. Please buy a book.
 
Crap. I just went searching on Palmtalk to find that palm to rub it in your faces but it turns out it was Randy Moores place that I was thinking of. If that ain't Euterpe precatoria, then I don't know what is. That ain't no Kentia, putos.
 

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I believe its my pic shown and I believe Randy said it was Euterpe edulis. I believe a lot of things.
 
The guy on the far right looks like he knows his shit.

Oh yeah, it is a Euterpe edulis.
 
The guy on the right looks like he's discretely backing up into the fronds of a pritchardia because he loves the way they tenderly poke his pooper.

I do remember you guys saying it was E. edulis, but all the E. edulis I've seen don't have droopy leaflets, so I was speculating that it might be E. precatoria. What's more probable: It's Euterpe edulis with droopy leaflets or it's E. precatoria? I don't know.
 
Matt, I have seen many drooping Euterpe edulis. Hell, Google "Euterpe edulis" and look at the images. You will see some that have a pronounced droop. They seem to do this once they get some size. And it is not so much an arching droop like seen in Kentias. it is more like extra laxed leaflets at the rachis. Know what I mean? Probably not because Dean said you are not very bright and quit possibly were exposed to lead-based paints as a young child.
 
I guees you're right Len, all the pics show droopy leaflets of varying degree. The ones I've seen in CA don't seem to droop very much at all, which is why I was wondering about Randy's in that pic. Maybe it's an age thing like you said. It's no wonder you know about drooping with age.... (self moderated, damn! there's so many good ones to use here)
 
It's no wonder you know about drooping with age.... (self moderated, damn! there's so many good ones to use here)

Matt, you around this weekend? I would like to stop by and slap you. 11 AM good?
 
Just watched Dean’s amazing slideshow again, after missing the Sunday 12-20-2009 Hawai’i Island Palm Society tour of the Sullivan palm garden property. PalmTalk feedback from others indicates the Sullivan property is still for sale, so if in the next few days a dear friend asks you what you’d really like for your Christmas present…

I was busily packing my camera gear and other stuff into the car on Sunday morning when the big storm hit us with a vengeance – amazing tornado-like water spouts were visible from homes up here in the Kona Palisades area. As we worked to lash down the yard items and fish our lawn furniture out of the swimming pool I realized our planned Saddle Road trek between snow-capped Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa to get us from North Kona over to Kapoho to tour the Sullivan garden was not advisable.

If you think I’m a big wuss for not getting out on the road midday on Sunday morning, here is a 35 second video clip of one of those water spouts:
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2009/12december/20091220waterspout.htm

Being able to view the Sullivan palm garden tour photos and comments on the PalmTalk Forum is nice because we can see individual palm photos with palm identification / clarification / revision info. PalmPedia slideshows like this one with nice music are also very much appreciated – very different from scrolling down through pages and pages of PalmTalk postings. I enjoy both formats (message thread postings, and slideshow click once to view / listen).
 
OK, I'm dying to know...there is a Dypsis hovomantsina in the 6th slide, white lower crown, red fuzzy upper crown, sort of messy looking drooping leaves. It just HAS to be the true Dypsis hovomantsina, perfect match to POM photos and description. So, I'm dying to know if this palm looked like all the other Dypsis "hovomantsina's" that have been going around that look nothing like hovomantsina for the first 10 years or so...so much so that even Dransfield said it couldn't be. Do you know Dean?

Matt
 
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