A small black-bottom wading pool is the focal point of the Shinn family’s yard. It’s also Gary Shinn’s daughter’s favorite part.

For 30 years, Hokuahi Lawns has specialized in creating lush tropical landscapes for Hawaii homeowners. When company president Gary Shinn recently moved into a new home in the Hoakalei resort community with his family, however, it was his turn to design the backyard retreat of his dreams.
The large yard was a blank slate, so for inspiration, Shinn looked to the people he would enjoy and share the space with most: his young daughter, wife and live-in mother-in-law.

The lush lanscape can be enjoyed from the quartzite lanai or even the second-floor deck.

Shinn created the most striking feature of the yard, a small black-bottom pool with a waterfall and a shallow wading platform, expressly for his daughter. The look of the pool, which could be mistaken for a tropical pond, is also one of Hokuahi’s trademarks.

“We create ponds, waterfalls and water features to look as natural as possible,” Shinn says. “We don’t go the conventional route. We prefer a natural look.” So natural, in fact, that the pool can be converted into a koi pond down the road if his daughter ever grows tired of swimming. Shinn kept the depth of the water at 4 ½ ’ for his wife and mother-in-law, who do not swim. This way, they can still safely enjoy the pool when the Ewa Beach temperatures rise.

A variety of tropical foliage surrounds the pool, including different types of palms, gingers and colored ti leaf. Shinn chose several native species of fern and a silvery green bush called pohinahina, as well as bright bird of paradise and bromeliad for pops of color. Over time, he says the landscape will continue to fill in and completely cover the fence. “Eventually, it will look like the waterfall is coming out of a tropical forest,” Shinn says.

Leafy greens fill the vegetable garden.

Along one side of the yard, Shinn designed an elevated vegetable garden for his mother-in-law. “She eats a lot of vegetables, especially leafy greens,” Shinn says. Now she cares for a plethora of produce ranging from daikon, taro and eggplant to fruits such as papaya, orange and lemon. Shin’s wife requested a banana tree for their daughter, who often snacks on the fruit fresh from their backyard.

In addition to their immediate family, the Shinns often entertain their large extended family. So, Shinn laid down a plush area of thick El Toro zoysia grass and an expansive stone lanai with sunrise-color quartzite from Selective Stone to accommodate several different seating and dining areas.
Shinn says the large grassy area and lanai for entertaining contribute to the overall inviting feel of the yard.

“We really spend a lot of time out here. The whole family comes over, and we all have a good time.”