The eye-catching koi pond provides a suitable habitat for the homeowners’ prized fish. Previously, the koi were kept inside the home.
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When the answer to a problem isn’t within sight, sometimes you need to look below the surface. In fact, in some instances, you have to dig a full foot below the surface.
Gary Shinn, owner of Hokuahi Lawns Inc., encountered one such dilemma during a recent landscaping project in Mililani. After a moss-rock wall was put up to separate the front and back yards, the homeowners discovered the backyard was collecting pools of water every time it rained.
“That was the big thing,” recalls Shinn. “They didn’t want to have water backing up.”
There were several ways to address the situation, but Shinn’s method clearly provided the best results. About half of the landscape now features a gorgeous bed of imported river stones. But while beauty may be skin deep, the workings beneath the layer of stones provide the solution to the homeowners’ water concern.
“There’s a [network] of drainage piping that runs under the surface,” says Shinn. “It’s a slot drain system called ADS, or Advanced Drainage Systems. There’s gravel beneath the river stones. It’s packed in very deep, about 12 inches, and when the water seeps down to the base of where the piping is, everything goes into this slotted drainage system.” The water is then channeled out at the corner of the property. “Now, there are no problems with water collecting,” says Shinn.
It didn’t end with proper irrigation. The homeowners had more on their landscaping wish list, and Shinn was happy to oblige. First, they wanted to carve out most of the steep, sloping dirt hill that dominated the backyard. In its place, they wanted a retaining wall to provide a handsome centerpiece to their back living area. They also wanted an outdoor water feature to accommodate their grown koi fish.
The underground drainage system is camouflaged by a beautiful surface treatment.
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A stone path leads to the front corner of the yard. |
The completed landscape offers splashes of color and form.
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The layout was designed by landscape architect Steve Fukunaga, a personal friend of the homeowners. Shinn and his crew went to work excavating the hill, clearing the way for a retaining wall and covered lanai. The lanai stretches toward the wall, leaving only a 6-foot area—just enough space for Shinn to build that alluring koi pond.
“We found the best spot for it,” says Shinn. “It’s right off the lanai, it’s protected and there’s visibility [of the pond] from inside of the house. Steve designed it, and it’s a great water feature.”
From there, Shinn went to work adding eye-catching adornments to the landscape. Once fully grown, the group of areca palms will provide privacy for the homeowners, while the red gingers placed strategically in between will add color to the mix. Firecracker plants, named for their explosive, open red blooms, will eventually spill over the back retaining wall, cascading down about two or three feet to provide vibrant splashes of red and green.
Color abounds. Red ti plants and red-leaf heliconias share space with monstera and the native ukiuki, which produces tiny, berrylike flowers. Walking irises add dainty touches of blue and white to the outdoor canvas. A plumeria tree, when fully grown, will add more color and beauty to the yard. Closer to the front lawn, a lone Weeping Bottle bush stretches upward. In time, it will grow as high as 20 feet, bringing forth red flowers that hang down in a “weeping” fashion.
“When everything is grown and filled in, you’re going to have a nice variety of colors here,” says Shinn.
Shinn says finding solutions is one of the joys of his work.
“It’s about how you can get creative in landscaping and solve problems,” he says. “Everyone wants to have something that not only looks good, but is very functional and low-maintenance.
The riverbed, I think, was a great idea. It’s the perfect complement to everything happening here, and it blends in and looks good. The whole landscape flows very well.”
Adds Shinn, “We try to work with as much homeowner input as possible. I always say, ‘I’m going to be here for a while, but they’re the ones who live here. They get to come home to this.’”
