In most instances, a professional landscaper can visualize the final outcome of a given project. When Steve Dewald took on an ambitious landscape project eight months ago on Oahu’s scenic North Shore, however, foreseeing the finished product was a pretty tall order. Literally.

Steve Dewald and his crew cleared a haphazard group of trees to create a magnificent ocean view for this North Shore home.

“When we first got here, we couldn’t see the ocean at all,” says Dewald, owner of Steve’s Gardening Service. “There were 20-foot-tall ironwoods and California pepper trees spanning the entire front of the property. The owner had never seen the ocean from his property either. Nobody had. But once we opened up the beach, that’s when we first knew what we had.”
The reaction was immediate: Wow.

“We were saying, ‘Whoa, look at this!’” recalls Dewald. “It was just gorgeous.”

Indeed, minus the unruly row of trees, the nearly 1-acre property opened up to a stunning ocean view. Ask Dewald about the lack of a true focal point on the main lawn, and he’ll shake his head and point to the sea. “You can’t compete with what we’ve got here,” he says, smiling. “Mother Nature gave us the focal point.”

The spacious lawn areas are fed by gear-driven sprinkler heads that utilize z-angle nozzles to protect against the high winds in the area.

Of course, Mother Nature can’t take all the credit. Landscape architect Steve Mechler, of the Mechler Corporation, produced a masterful design for this outdoor Eden, and Dewald and his staff executed the plan to perfection.

The project started from scratch. Because the entire property sits on a coral plate, almost 300 cubic yards of soil were brought in to form an 8-inch-high foundation. (“Otherwise, nothing would grow,” Dewald explains.) A hoe ram was used to
break up part of the coral plate to install the larger trees. In addition, because of the homeowners’ distaste for concrete, more than 300 bags of river rock were used to fashion the property’s exterior walkways.

The elevated house and guest house behind it help shield a small garden of edible plants from the prevailing gusts. The edibles include banana, dwarf mango, lychee and varieties of citrus.

Then there were the gangly ironwoods and California pepper trees that had enclosed the area. It took Dewald and his team three days to remove them.

“We made sure that we didn’t get any soil or debris down into the ocean,” he says. “Once we cleared that away, we saw what a spectacular ocean view the homeowner now had. After that, we just started some accent planting around the property.”

Adhering to the homeowners’ wishes, Dewald made sure the installation was carried out with special care to the environment. A key feature of the project is the water-conserving sprinkler irrigation system, which utilizes a drip valve to reduce water consumption. According to Dewald, it also minimizes the amount of harmful pests because the water goes directly into the ground and into the roots. “You’re not getting the leaves wet, and so you don’t have to worry about things like fungus,” he says. “Overall, it’s quite a savings on water.”

More than 300 bags of river rock were brought in to create the property’s attractive exterior walking paths.

The two large lawn areas are fed by more traditional, gear-driven sprinkler heads. To reduce the effect of the strong gusts in the area, the team also installed low-angle nozzles. The water is sprayed at a lower arc so it doesn’t get tossed around in the wind. Watering is also done in the early morning or in the evening, when it’s less windy.

“We’re here right by the ocean, so we can’t overwater and have excess runoff,” Dewald explains.

Dewald selected low-maintenance plant varieties that would thrive in a beach setting, including naupaka, spider lilies, ilima papa, akia, beach heliotrope, wax ficus, Tahitian gardenia, areca palms, lawai ferns, clumping bamboo and more. To meet the homeowners’ desire for edible plants, he also planted a variety of citrus trees, dwarf mango, papaya, banana and lychee plants near the guest house.

Queen Emma spider lilies are among the hardy plants that can thrive on an oceanfront property.

“A lot of the more delicate plants are shielded by that back house,” says the veteran landscaper, “while the stuff out here [closer to the beach] is pretty much bulletproof. A lot of people think that xeriscaping or using a drip irrigation system means you’re reduced to having a rock garden with a cactus in it, but that’s not true at all. The key is picking the right plants for the environment. The choices you see here are pretty drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant.”

With another nod to staying green, the landscape lighting is low-voltage, requiring less electricity. Dewald also incorporated brass and copper light fixtures that will stand up to the saltwater elements.

The end result is an outdoor living area that is clean, sensible and, in the end, downright beautiful. What’s more, Dewald says, he enjoyed working with homeowners who were very conscious of renewing the landscape with great care for the natural surroundings. Going green, he says, is practical on a number of levels.

Spider lily flowers are attractive adornments to the home’s collection of flora. They are “unthirsty” plants that stand up to a beach setting’s harsh environment.

“In today’s economy, with the price of utilities going through the roof because of oil and everything else, [green] is definitely an issue,” says Dewald. “Everybody’s concerned about their electric bills, but even water costs are rising pretty dramatically. Also, we live on an island, and so our natural resources are pretty limited to begin with. If we contaminate our water sources in the ocean, we’re in trouble. By going green, you can definitely help the environment and save some money if you do it intelligently.”