Having a tropical paradise home is every homeowner’s desire, and these Hawaiian backyard landscaping ideas will make your dream come true.
Besides the usual palm trees, you can make more out of your tropical home, like adding a garden bed, tiki torches, a water feature, and other tropical plants.
Our article will guide you on how to create the best Hawaii backyard.
Contents
Best Hawaii landscaping ideas for your backyard
1. Plant a Tropical Garden
Tropical gardens have become a signature feature in Hawaii homes, but you can make yours unique. Being surrounded by lush foliage, beautiful tropical flowers, and natural shade will bring you peace of mind.
– Features
Most homeowners avoid tropical gardens because they seem high maintenance, which is not the case. When selecting the trees, ensure you get the most suitable ones for Hawaii soil. Your choice of plants and flowers solely depends on your preference, but you can hunt for inspiration.
Make your plants mimic a tropical natural forest. You can mix tall trees, blooming plants, and short ones for the floor and let them grow in an unorganized manner.
If you want a dense forest in your backyard, go for plants with large leaves. Some plants to include on your list are Banana trees, Monstera, Giant Rhubarb, and Elephant Ear plants. You can also mix foliage colours and shapes to make the garden more stylish.
– Benefits
Tropical gardens are a perfect way to add beauty to your backyard. The mixture of tall trees and big foliage brings a tropical feel. Plants also have health benefits like filtering air, reducing stress and anxiety, and creating a sense of responsibility.
– Downsides
Although tropical gardens are not high maintenance, they require a lot of physical exertion, like digging, watering, and pruning. These can be strenuous for the elderly and people with back and joint problems.
2. Install Tiki Torches
Adding tiki torches to the tropical garden will take your landscaping to another level. These additions are also perfect if you want a Hawaiian-themed backyard party.
– Features
You can install them in the middle of the garden to illuminate light to every corner or on the patio for more brightness.
Tiki torches use oil or propane gas to work, so they can burn, furthermore you should therefore install them away from other flammable materials like tents. The burning gases produce tint, so ensure you clean the head of the torch to remove layers of carbon.
If you install a propane tiki torch, follow the instructions on connecting it to the propane tank. For example, you should turn off the gas tank when the torch is on to avoid fire accidents. Metal torches last longer, but the glass ones add visual interest to your backyard.
– Benefits
Lighting your backyard at night makes it brighter and more secure. The tiki torch’s light adds aesthetics, creating an illusion of festive seasons in your yard. Tiki torches can also act as pieces of decor during the day, even if you don’t light them, as they would give a very Hawaiian feel.
– Disadvantages
Tiki torches are hard to use when it rains. The wick gets wet, making it hard to light. They also use propane gas which is expensive to buy and can cause fire hazards. In addition, you must be very cautious because you do not want it to trip accidentally when it is lit.
3. Add Palm Trees
Another perfect tropical landscape idea for your Hawaii backyard is planting palm trees. Palms are easy to care for plants, last for decades, and increase the beauty of the space. Since these trees are tall and strong, they can also act as windbreakers.
– Features
You will be overwhelmed by the types of palms available, so do your due diligence before settling on a specie. Also, note that some palms require sun and water, while others will grow slowly if you don’t fertilize them.
When growing palms in your Hawaii backyard, you can plant them on the ground or in a pot. Ensure you select the best soil for them to thrive ideally. If you have other tall trees in your backyard, you can get palm species that don’t require a lot of sunlight.
Break the monotony of the palms in your yard by growing other short potted plants. You can have beautiful pots along the driveway, entryways, and inside the rooms.
– Benefits
Besides providing shade and clean air, palm leaves are used to treat cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and kidney diseases. The trees’ trunks are also strong and can be used to make furniture. Palms last long, and they have few growth requirements.
4. Add Water Features
Do not forget to include water features in your Hawaii landscape drawing. A water feature adds some splash to your garden and makes the backyard look cooler, because the place is a tropical region that is rich in water.
– Features
Whether you choose fountains, ponds, splashy waterfalls, or a garden pool, ensure they match the aesthetics of your garden. You can make your Hawaii backyard stand out by adding artistic water features.
To go more into the details, you can always get figurines and sculptures to make a focal point of your yard. Waterfalls invite the nature feeling, and their soothing sounds can help you get better sleep.
Make the space around the water features more natural by adding plants. Whether to choose short flowers or shrubs depends on your taste and preference. You can also go for potted plants.
– Benefits
Moving water cleans the surrounding air by reducing allergens and pollen grains. Water features produce a soothing sound that reduces stress and depression and can increase your energy and focus. The water also attracts wildlife like birds and rabbits.
– Downsides
Backyard water features are expensive to buy and install. Besides, they require ample space for installation and are not an option if you don’t have a water source.
5. Outdoor Shower
The Hawaii tropical climate gets hot sometimes, and having an outdoor shower can help cool off from the summer heat. Besides, outdoor showers make a great landscape design with their luxurious look. You can get a rustic enclosed or open shower, depending on your preference.
– Price Range
Outdoor showers are available in many designs and a range of prices. For example, you can get wall-mounted showers with stationary fixtures attached to the main house. These are cheaper options because they share the home’s plumbing system.
Free-standing outdoor showers are more expensive because they require separate water lines and plumbing work, and they would not be as costly.
If you have a low budget, you can buy portable showers for your backyard. These don’t require plumbing because you can connect them to your garden hose, and they will be easily set in your backyard to give a Hawaiian feel.
You can install an outdoor shower in front of the pool to encourage people to rinse off before diving. If you want privacy, ensure your backyard outdoor shower faces away from your pathway, and you can get curtains for more privacy.
However, you can go further and spend more money if you wish and install a shower that’s like an island’s waterfall and as it would be like it is raining on you, which would match your garden’s new theme.
– Benefits
An outdoor shower keeps your house and pool clean. In addition, you can also use it to cool yourself off during warm summers and set up a bathing tub for your pets. Other homeowners use outside showers to clean their gardening tools.
The benefit of this feature is that whether you are on a smaller budget or a higher one, there’s always a way that you can choose to bring up a tropical ambiance.
– Drawbacks
Outdoor backyard showers are expensive to buy and install. They require extra plumbing work, and you must have enough space in the garden for the structure.
5. Bamboo Sitting Area
Most Hawaii homeowners would like to enjoy the easy life and to relax at any given opportunity in their day time. You can always enjoy your backyard’s theme by installing some comfortable bamboo made sitting area, where you could also add fire pit in the middle and the place would look more comforting and such a cozy atmosphere.
You can go from a smaller budget to a bigger one, as you can be able to invest in chairs that can be placed next to your pool which would have longer end where you can rest your legs up., Moreover, you can even invest in ones that are still comfortable with the bamboo texture, but they are still on a lower budget.
Upon this, you can make the place some comfortable cushions on the sitting, where you can add splashes of colors, and it would look like you have a tropical atmosphere and it would seem engaging.
– Benefits
the key benefit of this sitting area is that you can range from a choice of textures that you would wish, like for example adding wooden furniture, or maybe ones that are made of bamboo, and still the place would look astonishing.
– Drawbacks
When you leave the furniture out in the sun, they may get damage from the sun or the heavy rain. If you forget it, it would weaken durability of the patio furniture that you have invested in.
Conclusion
Hawaii backyard landscaping ideas can make your vision of a tropical paradise come true. Adding water features also invites a feeling of nature and makes the place beautiful.
Before you choose the landscaping ideas for your backyard from our list, note that:
- Outdoor showers are expensive to buy and install because some require extra plumbing work.
- If you are planting a garden bed, be ready to dedicate your energy to digging and weeding, but you will enjoy the harvest.
- Tiki torches are beautiful for Hawaii backyards, but they use expensive propane gas and can cause fires.
- If you plant a tropical garden, mix the plants to make it look more natural. You can mix palm trees with potted plants and those with large foliage.
- You can grow a tropical garden or a garden bed or install an outdoor shower in your backyard.
Out of the many Hawaii backyard landscaping ideas, which one did you like, and why?
Reference
- https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2019/03/what-are-benefits-raised-beds-how-can-i-construct-one-myself
- https://agroforestry.org/the-overstory/17-overstory-239-the-benefits-of-tropical-homegardens
- https://www.naturalcoolair.com.au/sustainable-cooling/top-5-benefits-of-water-features-in-your-town-home-workplace/
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