Macro-House Micro-Climate

Front to Back: A heavily landscaped, tropical courtyard eventually leads to a wide-open and spacious backyard fronting the ocean.

Needless to say, landscaping this trio of side-by-side-by-side lots is one of the larger and more extensive residential projects that landscaper Steve Dewald has undertaken in recent memory. In addition to truckloads of plant material, the Hawaiian-style landscapes—with hints of other Pacific and Asian touches—required large, field stock palms, tons of soil and compost as well as high-end touches, such as stepping stones fashioned out of petrified wood. But surprisingly, in many respects, size didn’t matter for this project.

“If you take scale out of the equation, we were challenged by many of the same issues that new homeowners in Ewa or Mililani face: maximizing space,” says Dewald, who installed the landscapes, which were designed by landscape architect Stephen Mechler. “Land is expensive in Hawaii, so people want to get the most bang for the buck, which means building the most house you can in a given area. These lots are much bigger than your average Island lot, but so are the houses.”

Each of the homes has nearly 6,000 square feet of interior living space. In addition, to ensure that each house received good ocean frontage, the property was subdivided into long, relatively narrow lots. The backyards, facing one of Oahu’s most spectacular vistas, are expansive. But, like most new homes throughout the Islands, there wasn’t too much precious real estate left for equally wide and spacious side yards. This created a sizeable challenge for the designer and landscaper to provide each home with a sense of privacy and warmth, without enclosing the home in a perimeter of large, unruly plants.

Another challenge (this one not faced by most homeowners) was dealing with the oceanfront’s sunny, salty and windy conditions, which can quickly turn a lush tropical landscape into a burnt-out desert in a matter of weeks. The area around Diamond Head is especially tough in this regard, receiving more than its share of full sun yet little rainfall.

So how did designer and landscaper construct a landscape that not only would survive but also thrive? They created micro-climates.

First, they kept the landscape facing the water simple and durable, installing a large lawn of tough-as-nails el toro zoysia grass. Around the perimeter of the sunny area, they planted native naupaka and akia plants, which are at home near the beach. Coconut palms provide a little beachside shade and postcard-perfect framing.

A little farther back, Dewald put in beach heliotrope and silver buttonwoods, trees that thrive in sunny and salty conditions. Besides offering protection for a variety of plants growing around them, the medium-size trees, with their generous canopies, also buffer the rest of the yard from the harsh conditions.

Beyond this shield of durable plants, Dewald installed stands of clumping bamboo, Macarthur palms and traveler palms—plants with moderate salt tolerances but plenty of height. They provide screening from the adjoining properties and further protection from sun and salt that may breach the landscape’s first line of (plant) defense. The result is the property’s second micro-climate, where Dewald was able to plant more delicate and lush foliage, such as a variety of ti plants, heliconia, gardenias and colorful bushes such as song of India. These side landscapes are easily viewed and appreciated from the main living areas of the homes.

Floral Arrangement: A lush mini-garden along one side of the house brings the outdoors into the main dining and living area.

“Hawaii homes don’t have side yards any more. They’re more like corridors,” says Dewald. “These areas are close to the house, so it’s an opportunity to create a landscape with a focal point that can be viewed from inside. If done right, it brings the outside in and makes your home feel much bigger and wide open.”

Beyond the verdant, green corridors are the home’s third micro-climate: the entry courtyard. Here, protected from most salt spray and the harshest sunshine, designer Mechler placed the property’s most delicate plants: gingers, ferns, bromeliads, handfuls of perennials and the notoriously finicky hapuu tree fern. The quiet courtyard is the home’s most luxurious and private landscape, a stark contrast to wide-open oceanfront, where spectacular sunrises and sunsets are viewed daily.

Step Right In: The home’s elegant entryway seamlessly integrates hardscape with landscape.

“Today, homes are larger relative to the size of their lot. That’s the reality,” says Dewald. “But it’s something that you can take advantage of. With these homes and their three distinctive micro-climates, we gave the homeowners landscapes that thrive and offer a lot of visual interest. You start out in a very tropical courtyard. Then you walk down the side of the house in a grotto-like space before you get to the backyard and its vista of the ocean.”