BEFORE

“It was pretty much overgrown trees … a dying lawn and pretty bland,” says landscape designer Alan Gracey of this backyard before its transformation. The homeowners wanted a change, and one special family member had a specific request. “Their mother is from the Mainland. She wanted to feel like she was really in Hawaii,” says Gracey. “She wanted a tropical, lush feeling.”

After interviewing several landscape designers, the homeowners chose Reliable Landscaping for the job. Before she met Gracey, the wife collected magazine photos of landscaping projects she liked. During her interview with Gracey, she showed him her favorite picture, taken from a previous issue of Hawaii Home + Remodeling. “She said, ‘This is what I want,’” he says. “Then she saw on the photo that the project had actually been designed by me.” Gracey was hired before he completed his first set of proposal drawings.

Gracey incorporated smooth, blue glass fishing floats into the landscape design to add color and texture. Shown here: a float sits atop the waterfall.

The entire landscape was installed in 2 ½ weeks. First order of business? Adding a focal point. “They wanted something that would catch the eye right as they came through the back door,” says Gracey. “They also wanted a water feature, but they weren’t sure what kind.” To fulfill both requests, the Reliable team installed a medium-size fountain and pond using lava-rock boulders.
To give the water feature a more natural look, Gracey set its orientation to be on an angle when viewed from the back door.

To add smaller focal points in corners of the yard, Gracey removed a plumeria tree from the south end and planted it in the shadier north end. He also added a large urn in a reddish-pink color, the homeowners’ hue of choice. “They liked pink, so pink and red were our themes,” says Gracey.

What was once a plain lawn now bursts with color and life, thanks to Reliable Landscaping's design.

Around the pond, Gracey’s team planted pink petunias, ti ferns, red and green bromeliads and other low-maintenance plants. A pink flowering jatropha tree presides over the pond and blooms year-round. Silvery-white, dusty Miller bushes pop against the darker red, pink and green hues.
To add contrast to the rough-textured stone and soft, layered effect of the plants, the Reliable team added a smooth glass fishing float just above the trickling fountain. The piece also echoes a larger sculpture made using a similar float, which sits on the southwest corner of the lawn.

Alan Gracey constructed a face from a store-bought kit designed for application on rocks and trees. It reflects the homeowners' sense of humor and whimsy.

Along the perimeter of the property, Gracey added more plants around existing palm trees to soften the visual effect and create a sense of lushness. For a layered effect, he used plants of varying heights. “It adds depth and dimension,” he says. The result is a peaceful, serene backyard with plenty of privacy and color to enjoy.