Arriving in her new home in the Luala’i neighborhood in Waimea seven years ago, Iolani Fredericks and her family found a yard full of neglected succulents. She soon discovered a new passion as she cared for the succulents and found herself seeking new specimens to add to a thriving succulent garden.
Iolani’s love of plants began as a child growing up on an avocado and banana farm in Kohala. During her teens, she expanded her interest to roses. One of her favorites, a Jackson & Perkins yellow climbing rose still graces her parents’ home in Kohala.
Iolani’s best friend, Paige Brown admired her pal’s succulent garden. Though she spent her childhood surrounded by her parents’ garden on Cape Cod and picking wild blueberries in the fields nearby, she grew to love the new plants she found when she and her husband moved to Hawaii in 1992. She was especially attracted to the succulents.
The friendship between these two gardeners grew into a new business when Paige retired from her teaching job a year ago. Waimea Succulents became an official business this past May.
“This has been a wonderful creative outlet for me. Finding interesting containers and creating arrangements has been lots of fun,” Paige reports.
The pair sources many of their plants from mother plants in Iolani’s garden. They clip cuttings and root them in a custom blend they have developed containing small pumice, sand, sphagnum moss and perlite. Once the cuttings develop roots, they can be placed in an interesting container either singly or as part of a collection. They often add figurines or other found objects to the container for added interest and fun.
Iolani and Paige felt they might offer something to their community by starting Waimea Succulents.
“Selling whimsical containers, planted with locally grown succulents is a fun and sustainable way to contribute positivity to our community,” Paige declared.
Iolani and Paige are always looking for new succulent varieties, though they already have favorites in their current collection. Iolani prefers the rose-shaped varieties and holds the lovely rose echeveria as her favorite. Both women love the color and draping growth habit of the ruby necklace while Paiges’s personal favorite is the purple vertical senecio.
The pair report that choosing containers and making interesting arrangements is perhaps the most fun part of their business. They look for containers that have faces or are in animal or other unusual shapes. They often find them and things to add to the arrangements in local second-hand stores. Reusing and recycling interesting containers is definitely a principle they embrace.
“The only problem was, we wanted containers with drain holes,” Iolani explained. “Problem solved, we now have a diamond drill bit and can create the holes ourselves.”
Succulent arrangements make great gifts. Cut flowers fade quickly whereas succulents will last much longer with very little care. With so many arrangements to choose from, it’s easy to find one to suit the occasion. The gals at Waimea Succulents also enjoy creating special gift arrangements for their clients.
Succulent plants require minimal maintenance.
“Growing succulents can make almost anyone feel like they have a green thumb,” Iolani pointed out.
These plants grow best in bright light or full sun both indoors or out. They prefer soil that drains well and can dry completely in two or three days. The dry soil can be watered weekly. Because succulents are drought tolerant, their worst enemy is too much water. Often, they can go for up to two weeks without being watered.
As potted succulents grow, they can be transplanted into a larger container or pruned to keep them small. To move them outside from indoors, it is best to allow them to gradually adjust to full outdoor sun so they don’t suffer sunburn. They will always do best outdoors in soil that drains well.
Very few pests or diseases attack succulents. Root rot from overwatering is the most prevalent problem but obviously can be prevented by minimal watering practices.
Both Paige and Iolani have added in-home plant care to Waimea Succulents’ offerings. They can help maintain and refresh existing arrangements or offer help with transplanting to new containers or an outdoor location. They charge an hourly rate for their services.
Additionally, Paige has expanded her creative bent for gardening into painting. She creates gift items like tote bags, notecards and notebooks adorned with her acrylic paintings of succulents and the local landscape.
Their finished arrangements as well as their gift items are available at their booth at the Waimea Midweek Farmers Market, which is held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays at Pukalani Stables in the Paniolo Heritage Center’s Hale Aina room. Their friends at Graciela’s Hair Salon in Waimea also have some of their plants available for purchase at the salon daily.
To get in touch with these gals, email waimeasucculents@gmail.com. out You can also check them out at their Waimea Succulents Facebook group and on Instagram @waimeasucculents.
With dryer weather predicted for this season and ones to come, gardeners might want to consider putting in a succulent garden or replacing thirsty plant with more drought-tolerant succulent varieties. Go to the Midweek Farmers Market on a Wednesday to see what Paige and Iolani have to offer.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living part time in Kailua-Kona.
Gardening Events
Saturdays: “Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Come with a mask and be prepared to practice social distancing. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks provided. Visit the website www.amygreenwell.garden/get-involved/volunteer-1/ and sign up for the weekly email for more information on work days.
Wednesday and Thursday: “International Conference for Innovative Solutions in Sustainable Tropical Agriculture” from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Theater. For more information, email info@TropAgTech.com
July 16: “Healthy Soil, Healthy Orchard field day” 9 a.m. to noon at Island Harvest farm in Kapaau. For more information or to buy $5 tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healthy-soil-healthy-orchard-from-planning-to-practices-tickets-333108756257.
Plant Advice Lines
Anytime: konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu at (808) 322-4893. Walk-in from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at the UH-CES at Komohana in Hilo or call (808) 981-5199 or email himga@hawaii.edu
