ʻAe 'ae (Bacopa monnieri) is a ground cover plant that can be used in a variety of ways. When planted directly into soil, this plant can make a great addition to your lawn as it can handle some foot traffic and prevents soil erosion. It can also be used as a filler plant or planted on its own in a pot, where it will begin to cascade down the pot as it grows. They can even grow directly on water! I...

'Akiohala (Hibiscus furcellatus) is a medium-sized shrub that loves wet soils, because they naturally grow in marshes, they can even tolerate water-logged soil. They do best when given access to full sun but can tolerate partial sun. They can thrive in containers or in the ground and produce beautiful light purple-pink flowers that bloom all year round. 'Akiohala is the only hibiscus native to the...

ʻAuhuhu (Tephrosia purpurea) is a small shrub that makes small purple and white pea flowers. Although it has a lifespan of 1-2 years, they reproduce often during their lifetime, ensuring their presence in your landscape for years to come. ʻAuhuhu prefers full sun and doesn’t require much water once they are established. ʻAuhuhu is also known as the ‘Hawaiian Fish Poisoning Plant’ because it is som...

'Ilima (Sida fallax) is a flowering plant that grows in dry and mesic forests at a multitude of elevations. It can take on many forms from a small groundcover plant, when grown in lowlands, to a tall shrub, when grown upland. It prefers full-partial sun and to dry out in between waterings until it’s established and does not need extra watering. 'Ilima is the official flower of Oahu. It is useful a...

ʻAʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa) is a native shrub that can be planted in a variety of environments. It can be planted directly into the ground to be used as hedges and erosion control or kept in a container as an accent to your landscape. ʻaʻaliʻi does well with full-partial sun and well-draining soils. It can tolerate drought and windy areas and can thrive in areas where most plants cannot grow. ʻAʻ ...

ʻUhaloa (Waltheria indica) is a native shrub. It can be planted in a container or directly into the ground as a low shrub/groundcover plant. It is tolerant to heat, drought, salt spray, and wind. It makes tiny, yellow flowers that resemble those of ʻilima. ʻUhaloa, when mixed with other plants, can be used as a painkiller and asthma treatment. When building canoes, the leaves of ʻuhaloa can be pou...