Hawaii Gardening: Drought Resistant Trees

I love planting trees in my yard every year. Something about watching them grow a little every year makes me so proud. Especially with all the trees being cut down to make room for new housing developments and businesses. If you live in Hawaii, here is a list of some drought resistant trees that you too can plant and enjoy even when you're missing out on some rain.

The first I suggest is the hong kong orchid tree. The flowers on this tree are nothing short of beautiful. They can be pink, purple or white in color and will add just the right amount of color to your yard in the off season.They bloom during the late summer, fall and early winter months. It can grow anywhere from twenty to forty feet in height and does grow fast once planted. They can grow out of control so it's important to trim them in the first few years to establish their growing pattern.

A fun tree to try is the autograph tree. It is so named because the large leaves are a dark green color but can be scratched with something sharp to reveal the light green inside. Many people write their names or messages in the leaves at no harm to the tree. There are large green fruits growing from the tree. When the seeds are ripe it opens and releases them then dries up and falls off. The fallen fruits are in the shape of a star and are really pretty. This tree is very tough and can survive in just about any circumstance. It can grow to thirty feet in height and will branch out and become a very full tree. Small pink flowers will bloom in the warm summer months.

A neat palm to try is the bottle palm. The swollen trunk resembles a bottle, hence the name. The fronds look like what you would expect a palm tree to look like. It can grow to fifteen feet in height and needs full sun and warm weather. They will not survive a frost and must have the warm weather. It does well in a pot or in the ground.

A beautiful tree if you like drooping branches would be to try the California pepper tree. The bark is gray with reddish tones underneath the peeling top coat. The leaves are bright green and remain so even with lack of water. In the warm summer months this tree blooms with small white flowers. Be careful with this one as the branches snap easy in drought conditions. It can grow to forty feet in height.