LICH 2026 CONFERENCE SITE TOUR - 0CTOBER 16, 2026

By: Dana Anne Yee, FASLA

Photos By and Provided By: Dana Anne Yee, FASLA

A fabulous LICH 2026 Conference Site Tour took place on October 16, 2026. Our leader, planner, and van driver was our very own Landscape Architect, Bradley Tanimura. With the planning assistance of ASLA Hawai`i Chapter Members ,Vivian Arita, Matt Higa, Alex Tamai, the LICH conference team, coordinator Karen Smith, and LICH President, Matt Lyum.

Fourteen people from O`ahu including six people from Kaua`i enjoyed a beautiful day touring five landscape properties around Honolulu. Vivian Arita, Dan Ingersoll, Marc Isobem Robert Malhotra, Uriel Montalvo, Thomas Stanley, Serina Marchi, Steve Marchi, Tomoko Naka, Peter McLean, Alex Tamai, Bradley Tanimura, Kelsey Wai, and Dana Anne Yee shared in a beautiful, fun filled, and educational day.

Our first stop was to the Ali`iolani Elementary School Rain Garden. Lauren Roth Venu, Owen Van Lehman, Gerry Failano, Cyrus Howe, and Principal Leonard Padayhag, showed us their 336 sq. ft. planting area with 38 new native and culturally significant plants, and rocks from excavated from the site, This newly planted garden is a good start to help to teach the Ali`iolani Elementary School students about sustainability, stormwater, watersheds, raingardens, and have a chance in the future to plant and work in their new garden. We spoke about, this visible from the street garden, hopefully continuing student garden projects around the campus. I shared my volunteer experiences of keiki community gardens, such as Hokulani Elementary School, that were built in the past through donations and community (and professional) volunteering. And after my suggestion of a poly-divider to separate the grass from the mulch and raingarden, Peter generously volunteered to install it, as he weeded the nutgrass out of the raingarden.

Next we raced over to the Ku'ono Marketplace at the Kahala area to see this very successful shopping complex.. The planting and irrigation of Ku`ono Marketplace was designed by the former Belt Collins Hawai`i with White Tecoma, Singapore Plumeria, Laua`e Fern, Palms, and other hearty plants. Levy Oktalia Bethke the general manager helped to organize this tour. Landscape contractor, Burke Dunlap shared his five year maintenance work on the Ku`ono Marketplace. Burke shared that there were maintenance challenges with some of the landscape planting in this high traffic shopping complex. Burke mentioned that he made many changes to some of the plants, by changing existing plants with Pohinahina, `Uki`uki, and other plants that could take the heavy foot traffic at this busy marketplace. Burke spoke about the the irrigation, drainage , Insecticides, and we discussed the one tree to every six stalls requirement. It was a informative talk by Burke to hear the landscape maintenance side of this successful project.

Our third tour stop took us to the most beautiful Saratoga Garden at the Hale Koa Hotel. It seemed like a wonderful, shady, secret garden walking path through a garden full of a variety of plants thriving in an exceptionally well maintained garden. This magically garden was filled with Breadfruit, a cup like leafed Panax, Palms, a native Wili Tree, Jacarandas in bloom, and many very interesting plants. Oh my what a wonderful garden to see.

Francis Villanueva with the assistance of Ernest Jocson led this fabulous tour that started with the history of Hale Koa Hotel and its grounds, through the Saratoga Garden, and it continued though the organized back house nursery and landscape office. We then walked across the street to the Hale Koa Hotel where we were greeted by a fall Thanksgiving themed garden and then we were led down the stairs to the most beautiful and well maintained gardens that were full of tropical flowering plants, Harry the Hala Tree, Gus the 80 year old Banyan Tree, and Esmeralda the Indian Banyan Tree, (Gus's girlfriend) were prominent in the gardens. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the luau area and were warmly greeted by the general manager, Marc Jannsen and assistant general manager, Kelley Hupp. It was an all around wonderful tour of the beautiful gardens of the Hale Koa Hotel. Thank you to the staff of Hale Koa, especially Francis and Ernest from the ground maintenance team lead by the amazing landscape superintendent, Randy Liu who with his team maintain 72 acres of ocean front property. The Hale Koa Hotel Garden Tour. takes place weekly. It is a must see.

Our fourth tour stop was to 'Iolani School. Shari Ann Tapper from 'Iolani school along with Alex Tamai showed us their beautiful campus and the Arrillaga Student Center designed by WCIT architects and WKM landscape architects. Shari shared that the Arrillaga Student Center was designed to interface with the Chapel with comfortable connections and circulation for the `Iolani students. Alex shared the planting design of the outdoor amphitheater and then we went up the elevators which opened up to a raked Japanese rock garden. This led to a fabulous view of Diamond Head and when we looked up we saw the stars in the ceiling. The students of 'Iolani certainly have a wonderful place to study for a great start in their future.

The fifth tour stop was to the Park at Ke`eaumoku. Sharnell Shimamoto and Rene Liu from Nan Inc. along with Alex Tamai showed us the new mixed-use residential development in the heart of Honolulu. The planting on the street scape with Hala Trees, Coconut Palms, and native plants helped to soften and set back the tall towering buildings from the streetscape. It was shared that 75% of the Coconut Palms were not planted and the owners were hands on in selecting some of the plant material. Peter rescued a Palm from strangulation from a guy wire. We were then led up to the recreation deck. We walked through the lush planting upper deck planters, and then to the infinity pool with an amazing Eva view of the City.

It was a wonderful tour of five special landscaped places. We were happy to be able to experience these wonderful gardens and hear stories about each garden from the planners and stewards of these green spaces. It is nice to know that there are so many caring people in our islands that are helping to keep our Hawai`i green. Big Mahalo's to all of you who showed us your landscape projects, to the planners of the tour, and all the behind the scenes people who helped to prepare for the tour that we lucky fourteen tour attendees got to experience. Awesome!

©2026 Dana Anne Yee, all rights reserved.

By Dana Anne Yee, FASLA, LEED AP, ISA Certified Arborist, RA, MOCA, City Planner, UH Master Gardener Emeritus, Mayor’s Arborist Advisory Committee, TRAQ from the firm of Dana Anne Yee, Landscape Architect, LLC..  Dana has been a presence in the Landscape Architectural profession and has a long-standing pattern of service to her profession and the community, served as President and Trustee of ASLA Hawai‘i Chapter for over 10 years.. Dana was honored as a Fellow with the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2012.  Dana has served as President and is currently an Advisor for the Friends of Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Vice-President for Scenic, Hawai‘i, Inc., Commissioner for the Mayor’s Office of the Culture and the Arts, and she currently serves as Vice Chair on the Mayor’s Arborist Advisory Committee.  The Dana Anne Yee Foundation, www.day1foundation.org, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation.  The board of directors and members will continue in their commitment to serve and protect Hawai'i’s delicate ecosystem and natural environment, through the early detection of invasive pest species, in their pursuit to help to preserve Hawai‘i’s beauty and to keep our Hawai‘i Green.

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