Rebekah’s Studio

Imagining a pretty border of reddish flowers in front of the old panax hedge in the garden, I went shopping to see what I could find. The plants I was attracted to required full sun that they wouldn’t get. Native plants would be iffy, requiring special care. The more we thought about it, my hubby and I decided to plant what we already had—red ti leaves.

Hawaiians generally prefer green leaves to the red ones because red represented “newcomer”, unlike “native”, I’m told.

But two women come every year for the red ones, and I am happy to donate.

Gwen comes only for the lāʻī, the leaves that she cleans thoroughly before they are fumigated at the State Dept. of Agriculture prior to the flight to Houston, Texas. She fashions lei for the horses in the Paniolo Parade there.

Kapua likes to cut whole stalks to decorate the stage at ʻIolani Palace for ʻOnipaʻa, an observance on January 17, the date Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown. How lucky that ti plants regrow their leaves readily after the stalk is cut.

So, that is what we will plant in front of the panax. Red ti!

Here is a photo by Gwendolyn Takeuchi of her lei with horse and rider representing Kauaʻi Island in the parade. Can you spot the red ti?

Fern White’s horse wears lei with red ti leaves. Feb. 2024. Houston, Texas. Lei by Gwendolyn Takeguchi.

Beautiful!

Be well.

~ Rebekah