By Denise Laitinen
When you think about landscaping your yard, your thoughts are
probably along the lines of what plants will look pretty, what will
grow, and how easy it will be to maintain. You’re probably not thinking
about perpetuating native Hawaiian culture or being able to tell stories
to your friends and family during your next barbeque.
Yet using native Hawaiian plants around your home enables you to have
attractive landscaping that is cost efficient, low in water use,
culturally important, AND makes you seem knowledgeable to your
houseguests.
Some people think that having native Hawaiian plants in the
landscaping might be a burden because they require more care and
attention. In reality, the opposite is true.
“Using native plants is the most environmentally conscious way of
landscaping your yard,” says Matt Schirman, a Hawaiian plant specialist
and co-founder of Hui Kū Maoli Ola. The landscaping company works to
educate legislators and businesses about the importance of native
Hawaiian plants and also provides native plants to local big box stores.
“Because they’re not invasive, the native plants aren’t going to take
over your yard,” adds Schirman. “Since these types of plants are
literally right at home, he adds, these plants require less maintenance,
which in turn means less fertilization and pruning.”
So what types of native plants should you use in your yard? Factors
such as elevation, pressure variations, rainfall, wind, and topography
should be considered before selecting a particular plant species. Given
that Hawai‘i Island is home to 11 of the 13 climate zones found in the
world, each of which has its own unique ecosystem and weather
characteristics, it’s a good idea to check with a local nursery or
landscaper to determine what native plants work best for your area.
Whichever native plants you choose, the benefits are bountiful. One
benefit of using native Hawaiian plants, in addition to them looking
beautiful, is that they often require less water than introduced or
invasive plants. “We have plant species that have co-evolved with the
environment so they have low water requirements,” explains Schirman.
It’s an important consideration for many Hawai‘i Island subdivisions
where residents have to pay for private or county water.
One of the most important reasons to use native Hawaiian plants is
also the most basic. Simply put, the plants are Hawaiian. According to
the Bishop Museum, the aloha state has more endangered plants and
animals per square mile than any other place on the planet. And 90
percent of native plants in Hawai‘i are endemic, meaning they are found
only here in the Hawaiian Islands.
Equally important, native Hawaiian plants are inextricablytied to the history and culture of Hawai‘i.
“What makes Hawai‘i unique?” asks Schirman, who was a Hawaiian
studies professor at UH-Manoa before becoming a licensed landscaper and
launching a native plant business 13 years ago. “If we look at our
culture, the base of our culture is the plants. If we have an endemic
plant in Hawai‘i that’s associated with a cultural practice, that
cultural practice is thereby endemic. If the plant goes extinct, then
that practice and a bit of our culture goes extinct as well,” explains
Schirman.
“The idea is to help propagate and grow these native plants in
people’s yards. Then they’ll be able to continue these cultural
practices associated with these plants. “For instance, if we plant
palapalai in our yard, as opposed to going into the forest to harvest
it, then we’re allowing those forest patches to grow and be used only
for special occasions because for everyday material we have it right in
our yard.”
If planting native plants is important then planting rare and endangered plants is even more important.
“The idea is to propagate the endangered plants and put them into the
landscape,” he says. “The thought is that you’re putting one more plant
into the ground that will be able to grow and reproduce seeds.”
Incorporating rare and endangered native plants is as easy as using
commonly found plants in terms of maintenance and water use. However,
you will want to consult a landscaper or nursery to find out about
purchasing such plants. Sometimes people just don’t realize how easy it
is to use native plants or they are new to the island and don’t
understand what is and is not a native plant.
During the last housing boom on Hawai‘i Island, it sometimes seemed
as if entire subdivisions sprouted seemingly overnight, especially in
west Hawai‘i. All too often the landscaping reflected scenery
reminiscent of mainland locations with non-native plant species, such as
bougainvillea shrubs and fountain grass (which happens to be a highly
flammable plant).
However, Schirman says he has noticed a trend over the past decade of
more and more people becoming interested in using native plants around
their homes. He recalls property owners in the west Hawai‘i subdivision
of Hualālai contacting him a few years ago wanting to use native plants
around their newly built home.
The homeowners have a keen interest in conservation, yet travel
frequently, so he needed plants that are low maintenance. Since the
house was designed with entertaining in mind, they also wanted plants
that were pretty, yet could also be educational. After receiving general
input from the homeowners and looking at the environmental parameters,
such as shade, sun, wind, and water availability, Schirman looked at the
aesethics.
Most landscapers use themes when creating a landscape. When it comes
to native Hawaiian plants, Schirman says people can use medicinal
plants, things that they can harvest and use as medicine, or plants that
tell a story.
“The plants for this particular house were selected more for their
storytelling than their medicinal uses because the owners are really
committed to using and promoting native plants,” says Schirman, who
opted to use 31 different species of native plants, including several
kumulipo plants.
The Kumulipo is Hawai‘i’s creation chant. More than 2,000 lines long,
the chant describes the origin of all life on earth. The chant
describes how as species evolved in the ocean, they also began to evolve
“partners” on land.
It is premised on the idea that all things in nature, including
humans, are related like family, and that they must depend on each other
for there to be balance and harmony in life. To that end, the Kumulipo
describes how living things in different kingdoms are paired, such as
fish and plants. Thus, kumulipo plants are plant species described
within the Kumulipo that have an ocean counterpart.
“In the Kumulipo there is something created on land that looks after
something that was created in the ocean,” explains Schirman. “This
Kumulipo connection is very much part of the modern discourse on
watershed management,” says Schirman. “It’s really something our ancient
ancestors understood. They understood that we need to have something on
land that protects things in the ocean. We need to watch our land
management to protect our ocean.”
One of the kumulipo plants Schirman used in his landscape design is the hāpu‘u fern.
“The story behind hāpu‘u is that it’s also the name of the Hawaiian
sea bass,” explains Schirman. Part of the grouper family, Hawaiian sea
bass are called hāpu‘upu‘u in Hawaiian. They are similar to the hāpu‘u
plant because they grow very slowly and there are not that many in
Hawai‘i. Statewide, the last remaining large stands of native hāpu‘u are
found here on Hawai‘i Island. Their numbers are being rapidly reduced
by clearing and development, except in protected areas such as Hawai‘i
Volcanoes National Park.
However, not all kumulipo plants are rare or native. The ti leaf
plant is not native to Hawai‘i and is used frequently in cultural
practices. “Ti leaf is a Polynesian-introduced plant that came into
these islands a couple thousand years ago with the original Polynesian
settlers. It’s one of those plants that has proven to not be an invasive
species because it’s been here for 2,000 years, and it’s not a specific
native plant.”
It’s a plant commonly found in yards all over Hawai‘i Island, yet few
people are aware of its Kumulipo connection. “Ti leaf is found within
the Kumulipo,” explains Schirman. “It’s called lau‘ī—a contraction of
the word lau and ki, so it brings those two words together and basically
means ti leaf.
“The fish counterpart is the lau‘īpala or yellow tang fish.
Translated, lau‘īpala literally means yellow leaf. Pala
means to be
overly ripe. So if you look at the overly ripe leaves of the ti plant
they are yellow, very much like the lau‘īpala you see in the ocean,”
says Schirman.
In addition to kumulipo plants, Schirman used several rare and
endangered plants around this particular property. ‘Uki‘uki is a
blueberry plant, and its flowers are the only native lily in Hawai‘i.
While the blueberry itself is not edible, ancient Hawaiians used the
blueberry to dye kapa.
Schirman says one of the very rare plants he used at this particular
property is the ‘ohai. A native plant, the only place it grows on
Hawai‘i Island is in South Point. He also planted āhinahina, which is
typically only found on Maui. In all, Schirman used 31 different
varieties of native and endangered plants around the property. You may
not be able to use as many native plants in your yard, however
incorporating just a few will go a long way to promoting an
environmentally conscious landscape.
And you can bet that after your next dinner guests hear the story of
the ti plant, whenever they see one they will probably think of the
yellow tang fish.
Mahalo to Ethan Tweedie for his photography used in this article.
EthanTweedie.com
Contact writer Denise Laitinen: wahineokekai@yahoo.com
