We bought our eleven acres of paradise in 2005. The land had been untouched since the last volcanic eruption in the area about 300 years ago. When people ask "Aren't you nervous about another eruption covering your land?", the answer is simple. All we really care about are the next 25 or 30 years, then Pele (the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes) can take it back.
Robert Welsch, my husband, started landscaping the property in 2007. The idea was to have mature plants surrounding the house once we build it so it will look as if it had been there forever. Take a look at these posts for how the land has developed under his skilled eyes from 2007 to 2013.
This photos below are from January 2013.
Below are pictures of our tradition for house guests. Our friend Massimo is lashing an orchid to a tree on the property, and another one is below that. We ask friends to put up a dozen orchids when they visit, and have over 250 by now. The best is when friends return the next year and see one or more of their orchids in full bloom!
The flower above is from one of the hundreds of Ohia trees on our 11 acres. Ohias are the first plants to establish themselves after a volcano flow covers the land. Hawaiians revere them and use the flowers in leis.
The next few pictures are of the vireya walk. Vireyas are tropical rhododendrons that bloom 4-6 times a year. Robert planted almost 50 arranged by color, starting with white, then yellow, rose, salmon, then magenta. They put on a beautiful display all year long!
The photo above is what the land looks like untouched on the left, with a path we have hewn on the right.
The long driveway to the cleared land.
Our ocean view above.
Volcanic shelf with orchid plantings.
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