speaking of coconut

in october 2007 i visited hawaii for the first time. among the souveneirs i brought back was the sprouted nut of a coconut palm which i bought at the hawaii tropical botanical garden on the big island just north of hilo. at the time the man who sold it to me wished me luck thinking it unlikely it would survive. today it is almost three feet tall and gloriously green.

common name: coconut palm
scientific name: cocos nucifera
family: arecaceae/palmae
origin: west pacific
type: palm
exposure: full sun
height: 70-100'
width: 40'
growth rate: fast
water use: average
zone(s): 11-12
WARNING: be wary of walking under palms bearing ripe coconuts. falling nuts can cause severe injury.

of course the real question is what i'm going to do with a tree that requires tropical heat and humidity once it gets too big for the house, but i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

connecting with coconut

so the other day i'm having dinner with good friend jhazen and i'm telling him about my new project and he tells me about this woman (a former coworker of both of ours but who i don't think i ever met) who has recently launched a site very like the one i'm planning but with a food focus instead of a garden focus.

of course i neglected to get the url from him or snag an introduction, but today he posted a link to her blog which links to her site complete with a cool contest that i am entering as i type this (by typing this, even). so, go forth and check out both the contest to win a copy of "cooking with coconut" and one of my favorite new sites.

featured plant: pygmy date palm

common name: pygmy date palm
scientific name: phoenix roebelenii
family: arecaceae/palmae
origin: laos
type: palm
exposure: part shade
height: 6-12'
width: 8'
spacing: 10'
growth rate: slow
water use: average
zone(s): 9-11
cold hardiness: 24 degrees
WARNING: sharp, needle-like spikes at the base of each frond, puncture can cause serious injury including nerve damage; sap may cause skin irritation

(apologies for the photo, my camera has decided it is time to retire. i will post a better photo as soon as i get a new camera.)



the pygmy date palm is slow growing (especially in a pot) and because of that, larger sized specimens can get really pricey. but for those who can afford them they are worth the price. mature specimens can get up to 15' high on graceful arching stems topped with long, fine fronds. the multi-trunked varieties are especially gorgeous.

i've had mine for almost 4 years and it has not grown any noticeable amount in all that time, but it is still one of my favorites. when i had the house in the city it lived in the small entry tunnel, protected from cold weather and when i moved to san bruno it did quite nicely as an indoor plant. now that i've moved again, it's out on the patio. it did suffer some small amount of damage with our recent cold spell (you can see some browning on some of the fronds), but seems to be faring well otherwise. come spring it will definitely require a soil top-off or a larger pot.

reaching out

one of my favorite things about the corporation are the two free volunteer days we get each year. basically it's like PTO but the day has to be spent on volunteer activity with an approved non-profit. because our fiscal year is winding down all our internal do-gooders are busily trying to recruit people to their favorite causes before we lose those precious days. but thank god there are those do-gooders out there, because between crazy amounts of work, the holidays and moving, i haven't had a minute to spare getting my favorite causes added to the list. or even to decide what those causes might be. fortunately, others have come to my rescue providing me with two fantastic volunteer opportunities:

ploughshares nursery: an environmentally sustainable retail and wholesale nursery located in Alameda, California that specialize in locally grown native, drought tolerant and food plants.

hidden villa: a nonprofit educational organization that uses its organic farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to learn about the environment and social justice.

i could not have picked two more personally inspiring and relevant causes had i searched for months. i will be counting down the days.

one small piece of the puzzle

this blog, these links, the connections i am starting to make are all very small pieces in a very large puzzle.

as many of you know i have been trying to find a better path for my life. a path that is healthier, more fulfilling and makes the world a better place. i have looked into freelance writing, which i have done before, as one way to finance my dreams but the truth is, it isn't that different from what i do now except it's significantly less financially secure. i have also been looking into landscape design and architecture and though i have a great love for them and i've been told, some talent, they still feel like one part of a larger picture.

this past october, many of these pieces started falling into place and what felt like random skills and interests and connections began to weave themselves together into a pattern that made sense. my goal for this year, is to document that pattern, map the path to its completion, and build each of these small pieces into a sturdy brick that can support the castle that holds the garden i hope to build with them.
starting here.

again, stay tuned.

carrot

yesterday while picking up a few supplies at OSH i spied a perfect little water feature for the patio. it's a miniature version of one i had when i lived in campbell. it looks like it's made of lava rock so will fit in perfectly with my theme (despite the groaning of my friends and family who no doubt remember that i broke my finger moving the last one). smaller is better. perhaps if i get my unpacking done today i can pick one up tomorrow. nothing like a little incentive to renew a girl's motivation. lyngso is open too, so perhaps i'll grab myself a few of those lava rocks as well...