plumeria flower

plumeria flower
The gold trees are in bloom, the first poinciana buds are bursting into red and on May 1 we celebrated Lei Day. Spring has arrived on the Garden Isle featuring a host of flowers not seen in the winter.

This week’s Book Buzz list offers a selection of fiction and non-fiction books on flowers. The sampling includes new arrivals and old classics. Borrow them from your local library. Never underestimate the power of a flower to inspire.

Happy Reading.

The Exotic Plumeria:

The Flower of Hawai‘i:

A Pictorial

By Alan W. Bunch

H 635.93393 Bu

The author calls this the first in a series of books which document the various plumeria flowers now under propagation; with future volumes to focus outside of Hawai‘i. It is primarily a layperson’s photographic catalog to one hundred plumeria varieties, but sadly makes no mention of Kaua‘i’s legendary plumeria developer William M. Moragne Sr.

The Florist’s Daughter

By Patricia Hampl

818.5403 Ha

The most personal, yet most universal book by one of our most masterful memoirists. A tribute to the ardor of supposedly ordinary people.

Flower: Photographs By

Christopher Beane

Text by Anthony F. Janson

779.34 Be

Beane’s collection of flower photography is a breathtakingly beautiful feast for the eyes. And Anthony Janson has written insightful text that accompanies the images and masterfully analyzes and explains Beane’s artistic perspective. A stunning art book.

Hibiscus: Hardy and Tropical Plants for

the Garden

By Barbara Perry Lawton

635.93368 La

A survey of both tropical and subtropical hibiscus with notes on propagation, cultivation, diseases and pests. The author chronicles the history, traditions and uses of this classic flower. Also try the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Ikebana: The Art of

Arranging Flowers

By Shozo Sato

745.92252 Sa

This beautifully designed large format book begins with an overview of the history of Ikebana; covers the four classic styles and innovative contemporary forms and includes a section on tools and techniques. All the basics of Japanese flower arranging are presented to get you started. Also try Hawai‘i Tropical Flower Arranging by Laurie Shimizu Ide.

Lavender: How to

Grow and Use the

Fragrant Herb

By Ellen Spector Platt

635.93396 Pl

Learn all about lavender: history, species, varieties, growing, harvesting, farms, festivals and uses. The Maui Book of Lavender by Ali‘i Chang highlights Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm on the slopes of Haleakala and includes a large selection of recipes.



Na Lei Makamae: The

Treasured Lei

By Marie A. McDonald and Paul R. Weissich

H 745.923 Mc

Lei are the very expression of traditional Hawaiian culture and were once an essential part of community and family life. The authors have collected a wealth of written and oral information about the lei’s significance. This stunning book covers 88 flowers and plants used in traditional lei construction, and is illustrated in the author’s inimitable style.

A Native Hawaiian

Garden: How to Grow and Care for Island Plants

By John L. Culliney

and Bruce P. Koebele

H 635.95196

Wagner’s Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i and Neal’s In Gardens of Hawai‘i may be excellent botanical guides to native Hawaiian flora but for the less scholarly there are more useful tools. This example is one of several identification and growing guides for Hawai‘i’s unique flowering plants that are easy to use. Another jewel is Na Pua o Kokee: A Field Guide to the Native Flowering Plants of Northwestern Kaua‘i by Kaua‘i’s own Katie Cassell.

The New Book of

Wedding Flowers:

Simple and Stylish

Arrangement for the Creative Bride

By Joanne O’Sullivan

745.926 Os

Guide to everything wedding flowers: how to coordinate the flowers with the overall theme of the ceremony, where the arrangements will be needed, and how to work with a florist to get the blooms. Lovely photographs show various projects to duplicate exactly or use as a springboard, from lovely monochromatic themes to seasonal styles. For other books on wedding flowers try To Have and To Hold by David Stark and Avi Adler or Wedding Cakes and Flowers by Kathleen Hackett.

Orchids in Hawai‘i

By Ted Green

H 584.4 Gr

This concise overview of orchid identification, description, propagation and growing guide is one of dozens available at your neighborhood library. It is a fine introduction to knowing, growing and enjoying orchids locally. For flower identification and appreciation also try the beautifully photographed Proteas in Hawai‘i by Paul Wood and Tropical Ornamentals: A Guide by W. Arthur Whistler, a very handy photographic guide to more than 450 tropical garden plants.



The Orchid Thief

By Susan Orlean

635.9344 Or

Wealthy Victorian orchid fanatics coined the term orchidelirium to describe their obsession with the exotic flower. The author discovers that there still exists today a vein of orchid madness strong enough to inspire larceny among collectors. Filled with Palm Beach socialites, Native Americans, English peers, smugglers, and naturalists as improbably colorful as the tropical blossoms that inspire them; this is a lyrical, funny, addictively entertaining read.

Paradisus: Hawaiian Plant Watercolors

By Geraldine King Tam

581.9969 Ta

Kaua‘i’s Geraldine Tam spent four years creating these splendid watercolors of Hawaiian flora. Her sophisticated fruit and floral portraits are gathered together in the exquisite Paradisus (meaning earthly paradise). Following in the illustrious footsteps of Isabella Sinclair, Gertrude M. F. Moir and Mary Grierson her botanical presentation is a gift.



Tropical Colors: The Art of Living with Tropical Flowers

By Sakul Intakul

745.9225 In

A photographic gallery of creative contemporary style arrangements designed from colorful tropical flowers and plant materials by the Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul. Includes notes on the philosophy behind the arrangements, and a brief explanation of the techniques and materials used.

Tulip Fever

By Deborah Moggach

In this novel vividly evoking 1630s Amsterdam and the tulip fever that has seized the populace, Moggach brings to life a world of art, beauty, lust, greed, deception - and tulips. For other flower novels try Deadly Slipper: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne and The Orchid Shroud by Michelle Wan.

• Carolyn Larson is head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library. Her weekly column brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.