Salt-wind plant palette
Plants for the spray, the wind and the shade
A starting list, not a promise. Exposure changes between neighboring lots, so the walk-through settles the plant list.
Oceanfront spray
Plants that take salt on the leaves and sandy, thin soil.
Naupaka: a rounded native shrub that holds a bank
Pohuehue: a beach vine that binds loose sand
Ilima papa: a low native groundcover with small yellow flowers
Wind and slope
Plants for exposed ridges, dry slopes and the windy corner of a lot.
Aalii: a hardy native shrub with colorful seed capsules
Hala: a coastal tree that wants room
Bougainvillea: takes heat and wind, thorny near paths
Sun with shelter
Plants that love light but are tender in hard wind.
Plumeria: sun and drainage, with a windbreak
Plants set in the lee of a wall or a hedge
Staked low for the first season
Shade and lanai
Plants for covered, shaded and reflected-heat spaces.
Ti: colored leaves, planted out of the strong wind
Native ferns for damp shade
Large-leaved foliage plants for low light
Beyond the salt
Salt is only half the story
A plant on the coast meets several things at once, and we plan for the combination.
A south wall throws heat, a gap between buildings speeds the wind, and soil near the shore can be thin or sandy. We place each plant for the whole picture, not the label on the pot.
What we read on site
Salt on the leaves
Steady wind
Heat from walls and pavement
Thin or sandy soil
Heavy rain in short bursts
First season
How we plant for wind
The first season decides whether a coastal planting holds.
- 01
Plant small
Younger, smaller plants root deeper and take wind better than big ones moved in.
- 02
Stake low, for now
Low stakes and soft ties for the first season only, then they come off.
- 03
Mulch and water
Mulch kept back from the stem, and drip lines set for the plant, not the lawn.
- 04
Leave room
We plant for the mature size, so a shrub is not hedged into a shape.
Plant questions
Do you only plant natives?
No. We use native plants where they suit the site, and the plants that do well in this wind, such as bougainvillea. Ask for the plant list before you approve the job.
Do you plant species on the state invasive lists?
We choose plants that are not on the invasive lists, and we say so on the plant list. If a plant you want is on one, we tell you why we suggest another.
Will my garden survive a hurricane?
No garden is storm-proof. Thinning, staking and clearing drains lower the risk. After a storm we look at what is left and tell you what is worth keeping.
Can I see the plant list before I approve the job?
Yes. The written estimate includes the plant list with sizes, and we say which plants are native.
See the plants on your lot
A walk-through settles which plants suit your exposure.