Blooming On Kauai

What’s always “in” on Kauai: lush landscaping and outdoor spaces where guests can soak in the garden isle environment. Anything commercial property owners do to enhance their landscaping and make it safer, healthier, more sustainable and visually appealing is not just a trend—but a must, if you ask us.

It’s a matter of reinvesting in your Kauai property to increase its value and improve the experience for guests.

That’s why we love when landscape upgrades work double-time, improving a commercial property’s visual appeal and function. For example:

• fire pits that create ambiance plus more seating
• grass that’s more sustainable and healthy
• irrigation systems that are safer for pedestrians and more efficient to run

It’s all about maximizing your budget while improving your property each season. Even the minor landscape upgrades can make a big impact, like changing out tired plants or reinventing an entryway bed.

With Kauai tourism on the incline and the island’s positive economy, now’s the time to explore what’s new for your commercial landscape so you can attract (and entertain) visitors. Here are the top five commercial landscaping trends on Kauai that will help achieve those goals in 2016.

‘Tis the season to add merry color and glowing lights—and to be sure trees and coconut palms are cleaned up, and large projects are completed as we swiftly roll toward the year’s end.

Seasonal enhancements for most commercial landscapes range from traditional poinsettias to red-and-white annuals that last through spring on Kauai.

Our resort property owners deck the halls with lights:

• wrapping tree trunks
• stringing lights along rooflines
• adding lights to landscape features (pergolas) in common areas

We’re entering the busiest tourist season on Kauai, with visitors who plan winter vacations or choose to spend their holidays on our garden isle.

We want our properties to look their best, and that means not just dressing them up for the holidays, but continuing detail-oriented maintenance practices so landscapes stay neat, clean and appealing to tourists.

After all, your Kauai grounds are the front door of your property, and you want to make a positive first impression. So, here are five holiday landscaping ideas for commercial properties on Kauai this busy tourist season.

Good intentions can grow into pesky problems in the landscape when invasive plants are selected. The reality is, many invasive species came to Kauai as ornamental plants. And, there aren’t a whole lot of restrictions on introducing new plants—so sometimes, things go awry.

There are some helpful resources to identify whether plants you’re considering for your Kauai property are invasive. The Hawaii Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA) considers plants’ characteristics and the likelihood of it becoming invasive.

And, a site called Plant Pono is an outreach to educate home gardeners. Further, the Kauai Invasive Species Committee provides a list of early detection plants.

At No Ka Oi, there are five invasive plants we don’t like to find on the commercial properties we serve because their presence requires diligent management, the plants easily overtake other beautiful flowers and shrubs, and they can potentially attract damaging pests that you don’t want to find on your property.  

All commercial landscape bids are not created equal, and you know this if you have solicited contractors for proposals to maintain your Kauai landscape. Prices can vary widely, and so do quality standards, companies’ expertise, and the service they actually provide.

Comparing bids apples-to-apples is impossible if you get bids that address entirely different scope of work.

For starters, to choose the best commercial landscape contractor for your Kauai property, you should provide an accurate scope of work that details what services your site requires. (Don’t forget irrigation system maintenance, coconut palm tree pruning and fertilization.)

Ask contractors to bid specifically on the services you need. That way, you can compare bids by line item.

Price isn’t everything, and we have had clients leave us for another company that offered an unrealistic bid. They do come back when their properties’ appearance declines and it impacts their real estate value and ability to attract visitors.

Remember, your landscape creates a first impression, and it’s a reflection of how you care for employees and customers, too. So take this decision seriously, and consider these 10 pointers for accurately comparing commercial landscaping bids.

Thinking about a fruit tree for your Kauai landscape? Adding an edible to the plant palette is beneficial for your property because fruit trees add color and interest—and they produce a tasty harvest you can enjoy and share with guests.

Kauai’s warm, tropical climate is an ideal growing environment for a variety of fruit trees. But what’s best for your property?

That’s a tricky question because, as you know, choosing the right plant for the right place is critical to growing success.

A mango that thrives on the dry western side of Kauai could struggle to produce a bounty on the cooler, moist east side. Bananas like their space. And avocados are popular, but you can only harvest them once a year. Papayas, on the other hand, require continuous harvesting.

Climbing vines help screen private spaces while adding color and texture to your Kauai landscape. At No Ka Oi, we often suggest flowering vines as a way to appeal to the senses: they’re eye-catching, and many infuse sweet fragrance into surrounding spaces.

Flowering vines that climb up trellises, garden walls, pergolas and other structures act as living wallpaper. Vines are also functional, doubling as natural walls that give residents and visitors some privacy.

Here are 5 of the best flowering vines on Kauai we love that will add height, character, color and fragrance to your Kauai commercial property.

Surprises are never a good thing when budgets are concerned. You can prevent “unexpected” expenses by developing a solid budget for your commercial landscape that factors in costs that are often missing from typical landscape maintenance contracts.

We find that many budgets are missing critical line items: fertilizer, irrigation system repairs, and pruning for mature trees (usually an “extra” that’s not built into a maintenance contract).

Of course, commercial property managers want to exercise caution with spending—we work hard to accommodate budgets and keep costs in line. But tendency is to take last year’s numbers and find out ways to trim back your commercial landscaping budget.