Seeing the Forest & the Trees

It doesn’t happen very often in Hawaii, the home of the postage stamp-size back yard. But the expansive property, along the rugged and sunny slopes of Diamond Head, was having a slight problem with its trees, some of which were more than 75 feet tall. Actually, there wasn’t anything wrong with the trees. They were stunning and thriving, but the plants around them weren’t faring as well.

“The beauty of this property is all these huge trees that you usually only see in a park, not a home,” says Landscapes by Tropical Images’ Greg Lee, who, along with his wife, Terri, were hired to renovate the yard. “We didn’t want to take away any of the uniqueness of this landscape, but, on the other hand, the yard needed some light.”

The Lees first got started in the front yard, where several 30-foot-tall Singapore plumeria trees dominated the space. While they were pretty, they were far too big for the relatively small area, casting deep, dark shadows onto the plants below. To make matters worse, a previous landscaper had installed sun-loving, flowering plants, such as hula girl hibiscus and Tahitian gardenia, below the plumeria. The plants struggled and never flowered.

That plumeria tree might not be right for you, but it might work for someone else: “Sometimes a tree just outgrows its yard, or its new owners. In those cases, depending on the tree and the accessibility of the property, homeowners might be able to sell it to a landscaper. If your tree has a complex root structure, like a banyan, then it can’t be easily moved. But large Singapore plumeria and most palms will transfer fairly easily. Nice, big coconut palms and plumeria are hot commodities now.” ~ Steve Dewald, of Steve’s Gardening Service

Out of the Shadows: The property’s massive trees were either cut back or cut down, opening the front yard to much needed light

The plumeria had to go. The Lees replaced them with a small grove of fully matured Manila palms, which provided much of the height of the plumeria with none of their sun-hogging canopy. In addition, they cut back and shaped a huge autograph tree, also 30 feet tall, opening up the yard to even more light.

Since the home had neoclassical lines with hints of the antebellum South, the Lees decided to fill the newly sun-kissed front yard with colorful flowers and only a touch of tropical plants. Lavendar-colored agapanthus, large-blossomed purple allamanda and bridal bouquet plumeria provide color and texture, while fist-size Amy Yoshioka gardenias and dwarf gardenias fill the air with fragrance. Tropical plants, such as heliconia, hapuu ferns, blue gingers and sealing wax palms are tucked into the shady corners.

“Since the home had such a distinctive architecture style, we didn’t want to install a landscape that would look out of place. People often make that mistake, not looking at the whole picture,” says Terri Lee. “If we had installed a fully tropical landscape, it just wouldn’t have matched.”

The backyard was a different case entirely. With a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, the Lees felt that an Island-style landscape would be a perfect fit. Also, unlike the front yard, the Lees had a lot more acreage to work with. However, much like the front yard, the space was populated by very large trees, including a more than 50-foot keawe and a near-100-foot monkey pod tree, both planted when the house was built in 1941. But cutting down these trees wasn’t—nor should it have been—an option, so the Lees’ design challenge was to construct a landscape that would thrive in the unique micro-environments that these leafy monsters created.

On whether to trim your trees yourself: “Generally, you want to leave those things to professional tree trimmers. We handle trees of reasonable heights—up to 15 feet, something we can reach with a pole saw and a small ladder. Anything larger, we pass on to the professionals who have the proper equipment, so homeowners should do the same. You may feel like you can handle the job, but it’s just not worth the risk. Remember, even monkeys fall out of trees.” ~ Gary Shinn, of Hokuahi Lawns Inc.

Pocket Garden: Because the lot has areas that get full sun and full shade at various times during the day, the landscapers carefully selected plants that can tolerate both conditions.

“One of the tricky things about this landscape is that it’s located on Diamond Head, an area that gets blasted by full sun for most of the day,” says Greg. “But we also have these very large trees that are providing shade for much of the day. So we have pockets throughout the lot that get varying amounts of sunlight. Some have full shade, some have full sun and some get a half-day’s worth of sun and a half-day of shade. In these cases, you really have to know your plant materials and their requirements.”

Because the property’s ocean views were so stunning, the Lees preserved as much open space as possible, pushing the landscaping to the property’s perimeters. They had the trees heavily pruned, which not only opened the space to more sunlight, but also enhanced the visual interest of the trees themselves. In these open areas, they planted a lawn of seashore paspalum grass, a variety that thrives in sunny conditions. Below the keawe tree, in a pocket that spends half the day in full sun and the other half in the shade, the Lees removed all the plant material except for a dwarf apple banana tree and a sunset palm. Around the pair of sole survivors, the landscapers planted a small stand of raphis palms, a lemon-lime shrub, a song of India plant, a couple of hapuu ferns and a sprinkling of decorative kalo. All these new additions thrive in both sunny and shady conditions.

On what to plant directly under a large canopy tree: “It seems reasonable to put a little fresh soil around the base of a large tree and lay down some mondo grass, or other ground cover. But a lot of times, the tree roots will just take over that, too. I’ve found that a little gravel and river rock can be an effective solution. It’s much more attractive than bare ground and it’s relatively easy to maintain. You can just clear off debris with an electric or gas blower.” ~ Kevin Mulkern, of Water Gardens by Mulkern

Arbor Day: A new arbor, which matches the home’s neo-classical lines, provides a cozy refuge from the midday sun.

On the opposite end of the property, below the monkey pod tree’s sweeping canopy, the Lees designed a landscape that took full advantage of the sheltered conditions. Blood-red gingers, pink hybrid ti plants, monstera and more hapuu ferns enjoy the protection of the monkey pod. Nearby, a lawn of St. Augustine grass grows green and full. The wide-bladed variety of grass does especially well in low-light conditions.

Throughout the property—in both front and back yards—the Lees installed a variety of landscape lighting, from small lamps to recessed floodlights. Undoubtedly, the yard’s most dramatic lighting effects highlight the home’s most dramatic features—the two trees. Upturned spotlights illuminate the trees’ twisting, craggy and intertwined branches. It’s a sight that is almost as dramatic as the Technicolor sunset beyond—almost.

“One of the secrets to landscaping is to know when to preserve open space,” says Terri. “No amount of plantings can compete with a beautiful, old tree or an incredible view.”

On what stays and what goes:
“When we renovate a landscape, we really make an effort to save whatever we can. Most of the time trees are a great benefit, but if they are messy and need frequent trimming, then they should go. Not many of us have the space anymore for a big mango, avocado or monkey pod tree. They just end up dominating the space. If you’re dead set on a big tree in your yard, choose one that tops out at 30 feet, like a fern tree. Some eucalyptus trees don’t get very big.”
~ Richard Long, of Reliable Landscaping & Sprinklers