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Beautify your garden
while saving plants

In this sixth installment on native lei plants, we continue through the lowland dry forest in search of more shrubs that will make beautiful leis as well as beautiful additions to your yard. This region is in extremely bad shape, with the few acres that are left rapidly disappearing. By planting your home or business with plants that once grew in the native forest, you'll be doing your own part toward restoration.

A'ali'i (Dodonea viscosa) is one of the most sought-after lei plants, highly valued partly because it is not as abundant today at it once was. The plants range in height from 3 to 10-plus feet and are mainly dioecious, meaning that individual plants possess either male or female flowers; sometimes both types can exist on the same plant. Although the flowers are used in leis, the seed capsules are most desired. These papery, tri-winged pods vary from creamy green to deep maroon and can be strung individually or woven as a cluster into haku-type leis.

These plants make great hedges or specimen plants for dry, sunny areas. Their deep tap roots are good for stabilizing soil on slopes, and the colorful seed capsules will add life to the most drab gardens. You can see this plant growing along the slope on the mauka side of the H-1 freeway heading into Pearl City, as well as along the mauka side of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Kalaeloa offramp.

Ko'oloa'ula (Abutilon menziesii) is an endangered species found only on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Lanai. It has light green/gray foliage and can reach heights of up to 8 feet. The flowers, which are about an inch across, look like tiny hibiscus, and often this plant is referred to as red ilima. The color ranges from whitish-pink to dark maroon, and there is even a yellow form from Maui. The flowers are awesome in leis, strung end to end or alternating side to side. This is definitely a plant that deserves to be perpetuated. It does best in full sun. Allow the ground to dry out between watering.

Ulei (Osteomeles anthyllidifolia) is a gorgeous, sprawling shrub reaching heights of 2 to 4 feet. Its dark green, glossy leaves provide a perfect backdrop for fragrant white flower clusters as well as clusters of white fruit. Both flowers and fruit can be woven into leis. Ulei looks great creeping over larger landscape stones or down rock walls and does best in full sun with minimal watering.

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