Succulent plants can be fun and easy to grow and care for. They are less thirsty plants, perfect to conserve on water in our gardens and grow a Hawaii-style xeriscape. Some are perfectly adapted for our humid Hawaii climate.
Aloe and jade plants are some of our best gel-filled plants for Hawaii gardens. Not only are they tough and easy, but they will reward you with a flower now and then. (Many of our aloe species bloom in our Hawaii winter, sending up a pretty, lilylike orange or red flower spike.)
Other varieties do not thrive in Hawaii’s climate, like the ice plant. It may grow OK at first, but then it begins to wither and fade away after a year or two. This is not your fault. We had a nice section of ice plants at the Halawa Xeriscape Garden, but it all faded away. The plant is much more suited to California’s environment and is somewhat of an alien pest there, yet it looks great along freeway embankments and coastal roadways.
An added advantage of succulent plants is that they can help protect your home and garden from wildfire.
An example of this happened in San Diego, where a large fire was sweeping through a neighborhood. Everyone evacuated and many homes were burned. But one home of an artist was spared by her low garden full of succulents, including some massive aloe. As the fire approached the giant aloe near her art studio, the water stored in its tissues slowed down the fire enough to save the home. The aloe survived and with time revived after the fire.
There are many succulents that are native to Hawaii.
Portulaca molokinienis, or Molokini ihi, is one of the cutest, with a fat stalk, rosettes of succulent leaves and clusters of golden yellow flowers. We have other native Portulacas, which we call ihi, that have white, pink or yellow flowers. Most ihi are easy to grow from cuttings but also can be grown from seeds.
Hinahina, the lei flower of Kahoolawe, has gorgeous silvery rosettes of leaves and curled flower spikes of tiny white fragrant flowers. They are strikingly beautiful in the garden and very xeric once established.
The rare alula, Brighamia citrina, were native to the pali and steep cliff areas, but today it is found only along Kalalau on Kauai. Gardeners who love its fat stalk, clusters of leaves and long, tubular, fragrant blossoms are working to save the plant.
All of these native succulents need slug and snail protection. Surround them with coarse black or red cinder, eggshells or a ring of used coffee grounds to ward off these pests. Copper strips and food-grade diatomaceous earth can also help to repel slugs and snails.
Gardener vigilance is essential. Look for slugs and snails at night or after heavy rain and manually remove them using a plastic bag to grab and dispose of them. Or do like my kolohe neighbor does and poke ’em jubilantly with an old fishing spear, dunk them in a bucket of soapy water, then bag them and place them in the trash bin.
Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidibornhorst@gmail.com.
