The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-11-07
Dendrobium Phalaenopsis.


Orchids do not grow in earth. They
are practically air plants, and the pots
in which they are planted are filed
with peat brought from the eastern
States or England The Moanalua or
chids are all planted in British soil.
Side by side at the E. D. Tenney
home on Lunalilo street are two we'll
appointed hothouses, one containing
Mr.. Tenney's collection of orchids and
the other a collection of beautiful ferns
belonging to Mrs. Tenney, who has
been devoting her time for many
months to the care and cultivation of
ferns as well as orchids. Mrs. Ten
ney's fern collection contains some
very beautiful and rare maidenhair
ferns. There is a goodnatured rivalry
always on in the Tenney family over
the results of their experiments. Just
at present there are only few of Mr..
Tenney's orchids in blossom, but there
are score of long sprays of buds
which will be at the height of their
beauty when their owner arrives on
the Lnrline.
Another collection of orchids is to
be found at the home of Archibald
Baird on Kinau street, where this lover
of the rare plants devotes many hours
to their care and cultivation. The pie
lures used on this page are reproduc
tions of some of the beautiful blossoms
in Mr. Baird s collection, reproduced
from photographs by R. K. Bonine. 1t
is impossible from picture, however,
to obtain an idea of the beauty and
delicate coloring of these flowers. An
especially excellent specimen was a
long spray of Dendrobium Phoelan-
opsis.
w. NJ. Giffard has disposed of all but
few rare specimens of his orchid col
lection, and has devoted his time of
late to the hibiscus. There are two
especial varieties of genus hibiscus
grown in Honolulu, the Marshmallow
and the Rosa sincresis. The single
flowers of the former are interesting
from the gardener S standpoint. but its
form as a shrub does not begin to
compare with the Rosa sincresis. For
this reason it is not especially cult
waited. On the other hand. Rosa sin
cresis and its many varieties of large
single, semi or wholly double flowers
| together with the shapely and bushy
| appearance, when properly pruned, has
| made it a general favorite in Hawaii
| Previous to 1902 few varieties of
! the Rosa sincresis had been imported
! from commercial nurseries by local res
! idents. but nothing had ever been done
in the way of eross-fertilizing or hv-
! bridizing these varieties with other spe-
| cies of the same genus until. in the
| early part of 1902. Mr. Gifard. having
| obtained from FIJI two distinct species
! Of hibiscus. began crossing those with
the common double bright-red variety
| The following year his experiments
were mainly confined to crossing the
two Fiiian species. As result of all
! these intercrossings. thirtv-five single
! double and semidouble Towering nv.
/ birds of all varieties of color were OBJ.
! tanned. With the exception of three
which Mr.. Gitfard discarded as worth
less. these new varieties of hibiscus
were distributed throughout his gar
dens. Careful pruning and cultivation
have made many Of these very desira
hle Towering shrubs. Particularly no
ticeable in Mr. Giffard : garden is 9
hedgerow of over one hundred feet in
length. planted with sixteen varietie.
of the new hybrids. together with three
imported productions. among which j.
the Peachblow. This hedge has beer