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Dig This
Friday, July 14, 2000
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Jason Umemoto stands in The Willows lawn area,
which was added to open up the view plane.
The main advantage an award-winning landscape architect may have over the home gardener is that the architect is forced to come up with a plan before planting. Good garden
takes planningIt is in the nature of gardens that they continue to evolve, but when that evolution is haphazard problems can occur.
"The most important thing, no matter how small your space is, is that you have a good landscape structure," said Jason Umemoto, co-owner of Umemoto Cassandro Design Corp., and winner of an American Society of Landscape Architects award for his firm's The Willows restaurant design.
Structural concerns include deciding which views to frame and which to screen, arranging plants so smaller vegetation doesn't get lost behind larger, grouping plants with similar water needs to minimize unnecessary irrigation, and evaluating how the colors and textures of plants interact visually.
The American Society of Landscape Architect contest jury described the Willows project as "an oasis in a hostile urban context."
While Umemoto said he would not describe Moiliili as a hostile environment, he admitted there is a lot of concrete in the area and not much landscaping. "That site is basically framed by apartments and roads," he said. And they did approach the design with the goal that once patrons stepped through the gateway to the restaurant they would feel themselves transported to a more relaxing setting.
To move toward that goal, they first considered the views from different areas of the property. "All of the perimeter planting had to do with screening out the building views you would get," he said. At the same time, the new owner wanted a sunnier, more open atmosphere than the original Willows; a setting that would take into account functions such as the wedding chapel. So the view up was expanded, partly by placing a lawn in the middle of the site.
The owner wanted to echo the lush, jungle environment of the old Willows in the context of a cleaner design, better suited to an eatery. "If you look in the Willows area, there's lots of small, isolated plantings," said Umemoto. These are structured to display a depth of foliage, from short to tall plants, without overwhelming the site.
Responsible water use should always be a goal in landscaping, said Umemoto, and it was at The Willows. "We try to promote the idea of using natives or xeriscape plants," said Umemoto.
Natives are better adapted to the local environment and are becoming more available, he said. High-maintenance plants, like food plants and many flowering plants, should be chosen carefully and grouped for easier irrigation.
In addition to their low water needs, natives and other Polynesian plants were used in the project for their cultural significance. Umemoto encouraged the use of lei plants, herbs and others.
"There's a lot of multi-use type plants. It brings a little more interest to your landscape," he said. "It's fun to think of the landscape as not just something that you look at but something that you participate with."
When it comes to the color and texture of the garden, Umemoto shied away from a lot of showy flowering plants. It's difficult to get dependable, low maintenance perennials suited to Hawaii, he said. Some good choices are the popular exotics, gingers and heliconias. But foliage also adds color. Croton is used extensively at The Willows and there is a variegated hau tree. Green also offers depth, he said. "A lot of it is just variations on the green foliage."
The award and other positive feedback about the rebirth of The Willows have allayed fears Umemoto had about changing such a well-known landmark.
"It seems to be pretty well received, we get a lot of good comments on it," he said. "People are enjoying the gardens. It's really nice to see that facility being used well again."
Here are the winners of the American Society of Landscape Architects Year 200 awards Award winners
Excellence Award:
Walters, Kimura, Motoda Inc.for the Hawaii Convention Center
Honor Awards
Merit Awards:
Gardening Calendar in Do It Electric!
Stephanie Kendrick's gardening column runs Fridays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802
or email skendrick@starbulletin.com
