A vibrant neighborhood oasis that started with aloe vera is a labor of love for Philbert Alencastre

From the living room of his simple, one-story home, Philbert Alencastre can see the living tableau he planted across the street in Saint Louis Heights.

Alencastre, 75, is the creator of the bright and colorful garden in the triangular median at the intersection of St. Louis Drive and Alencastre Street.

It has been a work in progress for more than 20 years, and is in full bloom during springtime — with bursts of bright yellow, orange and purple flowers planted among the rocks and varying textures of succulents, including elephant jade, candle plants and green aloe vera.

“You look at something nice, it’s rewarding, satisfying,” said Alencastre. “Better than weeds. I hate weeds. If I see a weed, I’m going to pull it out. … When I see the butterflies, I feel good.”

There are herbs, too, including chives with white flowers and rosemary, as well as milkweed and lavender crown flowers for the butterflies. A cluster of sweet potato vines near the top adds purple flowers to the mix, along with fragrant pikake.

Gardening — and staying active outdoors — is what keeps Alencastre young at heart. He said he would rather be out working in his garden or going for walks than sitting on the couch in front of the TV, watching sports on weekends.

Most mornings, he can be found in the garden across the street, weeding or trimming or planting. The weeding is the biggest challenge, he said, which took up a lot of the work in the beginning and still is a lot of work.

According to Alencastre, the project started out spontaneously when he had extra aloe vera cuttings from his own yard and decided to plant one on the median — full of weeds at the time — across the street.

He planted it near the steps at the foot of the street signs, at the corner of the triangle. The aloe took off, and eventually, he added many of the plants and flowers, including the colorful lantana from his own yard, to the median. The self-taught gardener grew some of the plants from seeds and propagated others from cuttings.

Eventually, the median became an extension of his garden, and with two water hoses, he can — and does — water the plants from his front yard. For the plants he cannot reach, he carries the water over by hand.

Fortunately, most of the plants chosen are hardy and can withstand the dryer days of summer, particularly the aloe vera.

Alencastre has deep roots in the neighborhood. He not only was born in the home he still lives in, but attended St. Louis School in the neighborhood before graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

He also lives near the street named after his grandfather’s cousin, the late Bishop Stephen Alencastre.

Bishop Alencastre moved to Hawaii from Portugal with his family at age 5. He was the fifth and last missionary bishop for Hawaii from 1926 to 1940, before the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu was established in 1941, according to historical accounts.

Alencastre never met the bishop, who had died by the time he was born. But the bishop presided at his parents’ wedding, he said, and has descendants who live on both Maui and Oahu. The garden is a tribute to the bishop as well as a way of giving back to the community.

He is married to Roberta, who actually grew up on Alencastre Street. They have three grown children and three grandchildren, ages 3, 5 and 8, who visit regularly. All have seen and enjoyed the garden their grandfather created.

Alencastre also got the COVID-19 vaccine, having received his second dose in mid- February, a decision he said was easy to make to stay safe from the virus and to keep seeing his grandchildren.

Gardening is just something that Alencastre enjoys — a hobby he considers relaxing and one he devoted time to even before he retired as an engineer from the state Department of Transportation Highways Division.

Although many rush down the street, there are others who stop to take pictures, and neighbors who wave and thank him for beautifying the community, calling it a “joy” to see on the way down. Some of the plants and succulents have done so well, they have cascaded down and taken root on the sidewalk below.