A Rare Flower on Maui

No, it's not endangered... it's not a native plant, endemic to Maui... It's a common garden flower - but not on Maui!

Roses are red, or pink or white

Growing roses on Maui can be quite a fight...

This post is connected to MauiShopGirl's pink photo challenge. 

A rare sight on Maui, where hardy subtropical flowers dominate.
Believe it or not, this rose was found in Haiku.

Maui abounds in tropical and subtropical flowers: bromeliads, heliconias, anthuriums, hibiscus, but flowers from cooler climates, especially roses, have a difficult time here. If you ever see a rosebush on Maui, its caretaker has given it some loving attention. With the high humidity, soil diseases, and bugs (remember Maui has lots of bugs all year round), roses need extra attention. People still try to grow them as evidenced by occasional rose plants for sale at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Walmart. Kula Hardware often has rose bushes for sale.

A more common flower in Hawaii: hibiscus, which comes in many colors.
Hibiscus is as common on Maui as roses are in Oregon. 

I've never dared to grow roses here, but every now and then see an unexpected rosebush. They are more prevalent in Kula, where it's cooler and drier, but once in a while, I'll see a rosebush in Kihei or even in Haiku, which has the worst conditions for growing roses!