An elegant lantern and anthurium plants are among the exquisite adornments in the outdoor alcove of this Mililani Mauka home.

When the owners of this Mililani Mauka home first moved in, it was “out with the old, in with the new.” For starters, they gutted and redesigned the home’s interior. Then they called Steve Dewald, of Steve’s Gardening Service, with one clear goal in mind: “They wanted a completely new landscape,” says Dewald, smiling.

Battling not-so-friendly weather conditions—“It seems every time we go to Mililani Mauka, it’s raining,” Dewald says—the landscaper and his crew went to work. They brought in a wall builder to construct rock walls to terrace the sloping yard, and the crew added concrete sidewalks and extensions to the lanai. To fulfill the homeowners’ desire for privacy, they installed tall screening plants in the upper terrace planter in the backyard, as well as on the right side of the property.

“The nice thing about the [screening] was that it provided some upper-level shade, and that allowed us to include some shade-tolerant plants around the lanai area,” Dewald says. “The homeowners wanted a real indoor-outdoor space where they could sit at night. They wanted something really intimate and lush, and we provided that for them.”

While they salvaged the existing ohia trees, they were scaled back and allowed to “flush back out,” says Dewald. Attractive white tacoma trees were planted in the front yard, nicely framing the view from the home’s interior. For color and variety, Dewald also planted xanadu philodendron, akia shrubs and a variety of anthuriums, gingers, ti plants, purple ape (dryland taro) and monsteras. In addition, a fragrant puakenikeni tree now graces the backyard.

The plants are well-suited for the Mililani Mauka area. “The biggest green thing you can do, really, is make sure your plants do well in their environment,” offers Dewald. “In damp areas, if you put plants in that thrive in that climate, you’ll use less chemicals because there’ll be fewer bugs, and you’ll have less irrigation. A lot of people want a certain look or theme. But if you plant with what works in your environment, you’re starting off on the right foot and being green from the get-go.”

Because the property sits on the lower end of the neighborhood, drainage was a major issue. “Mililani Mauka does get a lot of rain,” Dewald explains. “We put in a fairly extensive drainage system. And because the homeowners wanted [the system] to be discreet, we installed rain chains off the gutters in some areas. The rain actually drains into large ceramic pots, which feed into the drainage system. Essentially, we turned a utilitarian thing into something that’s really kind of neat. It’s almost like a miniature water feature, with the water trickling down the rain chains.”

Rain chains, which originated in Japan centuries ago, are decorative and functional downspouts that collect rainwater. The chain deposits water into a large pot which feeds the yard's drainage system.

In another nod to the environment, the new irrigation system features low-angle nozzles that dispense water economically and efficiently. “There’s a lot of new technology out there,” says Dewald. “There are even moisture sensors, which don’t allow sprinklers to turn on until the dirt is dry. In the last couple of years, there have been huge developments in [eco-friendly] irrigation.”

The tiered backyard provides both privacy and beauty for the homeowners, who desired an indoor/outdoor space to enjoy. Steve Dewald, of Steve's Gardening Service, planted xanadus, gingers, ti, anthuriums and even dryland taro to create the yard's lush surroundings.

The design-conscious homeowners added their own personal touches, including a handsome lantern out in the back. Combined with some Beachside low-voltage light fixtures, the lantern emits a lovely glow that enhances the serene, idyllic setting after the sun sets.

“The owners actually had quite a bit of input in terms of the design,” says Dewald. “I like [input] because it allows us to build something that they really want. For homeowners, this is their castle. There’s a real emotional side to it.”