GREEN
ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
Landscaping with native Hawaiian plants By Kevin Whitton Photos Darryl Watanabe Rick Barboza and Matt Schirman, coowners of native Hawaiian plant nursery Hui Kū Maoli Ola, are on a mission to reintroduce native Hawaiian plants into the suburban landscape. Since 2005, they’ve been growing them at their He‘eia nursery in Ha‘ikū Valley and educating landscapers
and backyard-gardening enthusiasts about the care and importance of these environmentally and culturally significant species. To this day, they hear the same gripes about native Hawaiian plants—that they’re ugly, slow growing and difficult to keep alive. The two native Hawaiian plant specialists are adamant that these misconceptions stem from a lack of knowledge about the specific growing conditions that native Hawaiian plants require. Most residential areas have been cleared of their naturally occurring native vegetation. If you’re looking to landscape
ALULA SCIENTIFIC NAME: BRIGHAMIA INSIGNIS DESCRIPTION: Small to medium shrub with a fat, succulent stalk—sometimes branched—that produces a rosette of large, rounded, light green leaves. Grows up to six feet tall and three feet wide. Small, star-shaped yellow flowers protrude from the leaf axis on long stems. Blooming is sporadic. When in bloom, its fragrant flowers can completely encircle the top of the plant, resembling a crown. LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, accent, container. Plant alula in dry areas with full sun. Soil should dry out completely between watering.
1 0 GR GRE NM G AAZ Z I NI ENHEH AWA I I.C OI.COM M 8 E EEN MAAG AWAI
with native Hawaiian plants, you need to pick them based on where you live. You wouldn’t want to plant beach plants in the back of Mānoa Valley, and you would definitely kill a hapu‘u tree fern if you planted it on the windward side of a beach house. The trick to maintaining a beautiful landscape of native Hawaiian plants is to learn about the plants that once grew in the area, so you can then mimic that biodiversity. Done properly, nature will take care of most of the plants’ needs once they are established.
