Members putting in new gardens often wonder how long will it take to build a garden from scratch. This garden is an excellent example of what kind of growth is possible given one man’s boundless energy and loads of cinder and mulch! Aside from palms, Rick loves orchids. He is single handedly putting the orchid back in Orchidland, tying orchids to palms and pretty much anything else vertical.
Rick bought the three acre “spaghetti lot" measuring 125 ft along the road and 1000 ft deep in 2012. Pahoehoe lava formations produce a somewhat hilly topography. In 2015 a dozer extended the driveway 700 ft down the middle of the lot so the entire area was accessible to cinder trucks.
So far 55 dump truck loads of cinder have been used to fill in low spots and create raised beds on slopes. An equal amount of mulch has been mixed in to provide some organic material for moisture retention.
Madagascar hillside planted in 2016. Bn= Bismarkia nobilis, Da=Dypsis ampasindavae, Dl=Dypsis lastelliana, Doc=Dypsis sp orange crush, Dp=Dypsis procera, Ln=Lemurophoenis halleuxii, Ts=Tahina spectabilis. More Dypsis in the back out of sight. A bed of blue agapanthus is in front.
