Heliconia Haven
“I would just live outdoors — if it weren’t for the bugs,” Becky Erickson says with a laugh. A sprinkling of rain falls as we sit on the lānai of her wooden garden shed and survey the expansive grounds of her Ha‘ikū home: verdant hills dotted with bright magenta and orange flowers. If this were my yard, I would want to live outside, too.
An avid recreational gardener, Becky worked with landscaper Drew Mota to transform these three acres, half landscaped, half undeveloped. Where cane grass once grew, wide pathways meander among beds of heliconia, bird of paradise and other flora. Heliconia are her favorite; like an arboretum guide, she walks me down each path, pointing and narrating every genus and species.
Becky plans to build a house and to gate the top of the property, but wants to keep the lower garden open for guests to enjoy. She turns to me, saying, “What’s the fun of having a beautiful garden if you can’t share it?”
Favorite Part: “Wherever the most flowers are. It’s always changing; there’s always a surprise — and you want to share it.”
Tip: “In Ha‘ikū you don’t need irrigation,” says Becky, “but to avoid weeds, plant everywhere.”
RESOURCES
Drew Mota
808-280-6629 | DrewMota@yahoo.com
