First Post

I'm uncertain how worthy the goal is to have a blogger in every household, but clear that a gardener in every home would make for a contented world. The intent of this blog is to capture my experience of living and gardening in one of the last remaining rainforests of Hawai'i.

I am a newcomer to Hawai'i, having lived on the Big island for a little over four years. My husband and I hand-cleared our one acre in upper Leilani Estates near Pahoa, determined to preserve the native forest while also making our home here.

To manage comfortably in this wet environment at 900 ft. on the slope of Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, our new house perches a full story off the ground, surrounded by ohia and kolea trees, hapu'u tree ferns and the fruit, flower and vegetable gardens I am slowly establishing. It is an enchanting place to live and a paradise for gardeners, which explains why all our neighbors are avid gardeners as well.

Although new to rainforest gardening, I have gardened elsewhere for over 20 years.