Ken Sugai Appointed to Big Island Water Board

May 3, 2018 Posted by Garrett Webb In People in the News Comments 0

A letter from Mayor Harry Kim of the Big Island states: “It is my pleasure to nominate Kenneth Sugai of Council District 6 to the Water Board. Mr. Sugal is the Managing Member of Keauhou Nursery, LLC. His past work experiences include being a manager at Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, sales at Big Island Honda Kona and a vacation counselor at Hilton Grand Vacations. Mr. Sugai, a graduate of Konawaena High School, attended the University of Hawai’ i. Active in the community, Mr. Sugai is presently the President of the Hawaii Island Landscape Association, Vice President at Ka Ohana o Honu’ apo, a nonprofit organization that works towards the restoration, improvements, maintenance and protection of the historical and cultural sites’ of Honu’ apo Park.” This year has seen several well failures and emergency water restrictions. If Kona is going to maintain a vibrant and tropical landscape for residents and visitors alike, having a landscaper on the Water Board is more important than ever. Congratulations, Ken! ...

A Native Plant Garden Grows For 30 Years In Wailea

May 3, 2018 Posted by Garrett Webb In Native Species Comments 0

A Native Plant Garden Grows For 30 Years In Wailea In the south end of Wailea, nestled between two resorts, is Wailea Point, a private community filled with manicured lawns, lush tropical gardens, and canopies of mature trees and palms. When construction began in the mid-1980’s the coastline of this property was rugged lava rock cliffs full of kiawe and other weeds. As part of the master plan of the Wailea resort community, an ocean side walkway connecting resorts, condominiums, beaches and public parking was to be maintained by each property. Hundreds of visitors pass through this ocean walk daily, taking in the view, jogging, or just on a morning stroll. Having previously been the gardener for this area of Wailea Point, I can tell you the most common questions from these passers-by include “What type of lawn is that?” – Seashore paspalum. “What island is that?” – It’s still Maui. If you drive around that mountain you get to Lahaina. “Where’s the nearest place to get coffee?” – Well…. ... ...

Biomimicry: Innovation in Landscape Design

May 3, 2018 Posted by Garrett Webb In All Posts Comments 0

Biomimicry: Innovation in Landscape Design By Wynton Wizinowich and Micah Barker How can we achieve that beautiful landscape desired by our clients while also reducing water consumption, pollution, and the ever-increasing cost of maintenance? Over the last 7 years while working for Bio-Scape Hawaii LLC, we have developed sustainable alternatives to conventional landscape practices. Through careful observation of natural ecosystems, we apply innovative design in built urban and residential environments. We couple our unconventional approach with high-end, naturally beautiful landscapes personalized for the client while also reducing water and labor by up to 75%. We achieve this through biomimicry, the learning from and then emulating natures forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable designs. There are countless ways to apply biomimicry, and if you study it closely, you will find many natural secrets to give you the edge in your projects. In this article, however, we strive to just share our key methods, the logic behind them and their benefits. Soil is far more complicated than even the leading... ...

A New Menace for Containerized Plants

May 3, 2018 Posted by Garrett Webb In Invasive Species Comments 0

A New Menace for Containerized Plants by Molly Murphy A new naturalization record promises to add even more burden to the potted plant and landscape industry in Hawaii. Fatoua villosa commonly called hairy crabweed, was found naturalizing near recently planted pikake plants this past fall in Hilo. The potting mix contained copious amounts of viable seeds as well as numerous offspring. New recruits were detected in the vicinity and pulled out on subsequent trips to the Hilo garden. The herbarium at Bishop Museum documented reports of local naturalization in Oahu. Both Foster Botanical Garden and Lyon Arboretum were plagued with this nursery contaminant. It is unclear at this time if eradication was successful on Hawaii Island. Hairy crabweed is a small, annual forb that is easy to overlook. In fact, it has a history of growing unnoticed only to be discovered after it is thoroughly established. The winter of 1962/1963 was particularly harsh in Louisiana, many plants died when temperatures dropped to 15 degrees F. Suddenly conspicuous against the barren landscape, the exotic species F. villosa was noticed... ...

Night Sky, LEDs and Landscape Lighting

May 3, 2018 Posted by Garrett Webb In Business Tips Comments 0

THE NIGHT SKY, LEDS, AND LANDSCAPE LIGHTING Richard Wainscoat, University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy If you live on Oahu, you may have looked up at the night sky recently, and wondered where all the stars have gone. But if you live on the neighbor islands, you’ve probably seen the night sky in all its magnificence, and on a moonless night, gazed at the Milky Way — the galaxy in which we live. At the University of Hawaii, we are now finding that more than half of our undergraduate students have never seen the Milky Way. The number of young people who have never seen the Milky Way is growing rapidly, and an entire generation of children is now growing up without seeing a dark night sky. Artificial light is making the night sky bright. Much of this problem is avoidable. Excessive, misdirected or obtrusive light is often referred to as light pollution. There are two processes that make the night sky bright. Air molecules in Earth’s atmosphere scatter urban... ...