The Hawaii Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is inviting all folks interested in learning how to grow tropical rhododendrons to their meeting today at the Keeau Community Center.
The meeting starts with a potluck lunch at noon and then Dr. JB Friday will give a talk on Ohia Rapid Death Disease. To encourage interest in tropical vireya rhododendrons, there will be a raffle of rare plants to take home. It is guaranteed that you will fall in love with this unusual group of plants if you haven’t already.
It is uncommon to find vireyas at our local nurseries, so by getting involved in the local chapter, you can obtain all kinds of new ones to enjoy.
Vireyas come from tropical Southeast Asia and are well known for their beautiful flowers that may vary in size from half-inch to 5 inches across. Some are fragrant. Colors vary from white, yellow pink and red. Like hibiscus, each flower may be multicolored. The plants vary from shrubs to small trees and grow in a variety of environments. Some species grow in well-drained soils and others will grow as epiphytes along with orchids. Some are lithophytes. That is, they grow on rocks with mosses and ferns. In Hawaii, they are well suited for our porous rocky lava soils with high humidity and rainfall. A good opportunity to see some major plantings is to visit the Panaewa Rainforest Garden and Zoo in Hilo. The society members have planted a beautiful display garden there.
One of the main goals of the Rhododendron Society is to protect endangered species, since so many come from fast disappearing rainforests and cloud forests.
With climate change and pressures of human population, even the vast forests of New Guinea, Borneo, peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as well as the Himalayas, are being lost. By growing vireyas in our gardens, we are helping to save them from extinction. Another advantage is that they are very easy to grow as long as you give them good soil drainage. There are some tricks to help them do their best, but these are easily learned from other vireya lovers.
For more information on the meeting and the society, call president Bill Miller at 982-8290 or visit HawaiiVireyaARS.org.