Now is the Time,
Kerby's is the Place

August 4, 2016   

 
Too bad there aren't cold waterfalls in Florida! I guess springs will have to do.

August is here and we are really into summer now. Fortunately, I found a great way to escape the Florida heat . . .fly to Hawaii. It was a visit to see my newest niece and her brothers and sister (okay, I went to see my brother and his wife too, but a cute-as-can-be two-month-old pretty much outshines everyone else...) I had plans of hitting the beach, maybe an early morning surf with my brother . . . and then Tropical Storm Darby hit the island. Nothing major, just lots of rain, but it caused 'brown-water' advisories on the beaches, so plans changed a bit and I ended up touring a number of botanical gardens. First we went to Waimea Valley and besides amazing plants, we got to take a refreshing dip under a waterfall (see picture above). Then there was a driving tour through Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden, a walk through the plumeria forest at Koko Crater and finally the beautiful Foster Botanical Gardens. See below for a look at some of the amazing trees and flowers. Now I'm on a mission to find some of these cool plants and see if they will thrive in our area.  It just goes to show that no matter how long you've been around plants, there is always something new to discover in the garden.




Happy Gardening,
The Kerby's Nursery Family


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In This Issue

Featured Plant



Plants of Hawaii

 

All Crape Myrtles

25% Off

 
Rainbow Eucalyptus
10" Pot - $29.99
Featured Plant
Rainbow Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus deglupta

When you see the pictures of this tree online, it's easy to think that some fancy photo-editing going on. But these trees are really all colors of the rainbow! As they age, the bark peels away revealing a multitude of colors. They are cold-sensitive, so they need to be planted in a protected area and covered in their first few winters, but the result is a unique tree that dazzles with its colorful bark.

 
Plants of Hawaii

In Hawaii there were so many cool plants to see. Rainbow Shower Cassias, Plumerias as big as oaks and breadfruits with tons of fruit on them. There is no way to show you all the pictures so I've picked some of my favorites.


This was my favorite tree. Flowers the size of your hand popped out on branches from the trunk and then turned into cannonball-sized seeds.
Cannonball Tree - Flowers
 
The cannonball tree was so cool it gets two pictures. This is one full of seeds (keep in mind they are 6 to 8 inches across!)
Cannonball Tree - Seeds
The plumeria were amazing. Colors, smells and size unlike anything we have in Florida. Some of the trees were so big, the kids could climb in them!
Paul Weissich Plumeria
 
There are plenty of beautiful hibiscus in Florida, but this unique frilly hibiscus definitely caught my eye.
Hibiscus schizopetalus
Every one of those flowers is real! They really love the climate in Hawaii.
Lobster Claw Heliconia

 
 
A cool tropical fruit that struggles with our cold winters. There were breadfruit everywhere in Hawaii.
Breadfruit
We have kapok trees here in Florida, but this one was so big, you couldn't see the leaves. It looks like something created for a movie set.
Kapok Tree
 
Pictures don't do it justice. This trunk was huge! It was thick all the way up to the canopy.
Quipo Tree
A white flowering variety of what we call Giant Milkweed. It is called Crown Plant in Hawaii, and it is the primary food source for monarch butterflies on the islands.
White Giant Milkweed
 
This tree was everywhere in Honolulu. It lined most streets, including the interstate and they were in full bloom, ranging from pink to salmon to yellow. An amazing burst of color no matter where you looked.
Rainbow Shower Cassia


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Kerby's Nursery
2311 S. Parsons Ave.
Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 685-3265
www.kerbysnursery.com


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