Gardeners who suppose that planning a water-saving garden means giving up brilliant color and the lush beauty of Hawai'i's tropicals are in for a surprise. Now Hawai'i's gardeners can save water through applying xeriscape techniques and have gardens filled with exceptional plants that are not only "less thirsty" but provide the garden with shade, color, and fragrance, as well as exotic foliage and blooms. In Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape, two of Hawai'i's foremost plant experts, Rauch and Weissich, guide both novice and experienced gardeners in choosing the perfect drought-tolerant plants for Hawai'i's gardens. In this extensive and lavishly illustrated guide to the selection of tropical landscape materials for xeriscape gardens, Rauch and Weissich provide landscape architects, garden designers, and home gardeners with the ultimate guide to the "less thirsty" landscape plant species which form the tropical xeriscape. Organized in accordance with their use in the landscape,each plant category, from ground covers to large trees, is then further listed alphabetically by genus and illustrated with beautiful photographs of a full range of moderate to strong drought-tolerant species. Logical and easy to use, this garden guide will be appreciated by all plant lovers from home gardeners to professional landscape designers. With over 1300 color illustrations, Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape is the go-to source for Hawai'i's gardeners as they design, plant, and maintain watersaving gardens.

Over the past several decades, the U.S. cityscape has changed radically. Large areas have been cleared of natural vegetation to accommodate new development. The 'urban forest', which consists of all city trees, natural and planted, has been severely and negatively impacted. A 2003 study indicates that we are losing through clearing and grading four trees for every one planted. This is a wake-up call for greatly increased planting in the urban forest and the need to popularize small trees (defined as trees that grow up to thirty feet high) for diminished city spaces. ""Small Trees for the Tropical Landscape"" describes and illustrates 129 species and subspecies and 48 named varieties, cultivars, and forms plus 23 hybrids appropriate for the home garden and confined public landscape spaces. The authors have also included a section on 'Tailored Small Trees', large shrubs that are readily transformed into small trees through intelligent, selective pruning. They identify and describe 67 species and subspecies; 40 named varieties, cultivars, and forms; and 21 hybrids that are appropriate for this conversion. Several appendices will assist the gardener with tree selection for specific purposes (screens and windbreaks, coastal gardens, edible fruit, and colorful flowers and foliage). Species that may cause skin irritation or that are poisonous are identified in the text as are those trees with the ability to fix nitrogen. The authors also warn against planting a number of species known to be invasive in Hawai'i and advise caution when planting others that have the potential to escape cultivation and become weeds.

Lei are the very expression of traditional Hawaiian culture and were once an essential part of community and family life. Following in the footsteps of Samuel Kamakau, Abraham Fornander and others, the authors have collected here a wealth of written and oral information to reveal the significance of making and wearing lei and their role in Hawaiian ritual and dance. This volume covers 85 flowers and plants (and another dozen colour variations) used in traditional lei construction. They are arranged according to their Hawaiian names and accompanied by botanical information and descriptions gleaned from legends and chants that illustrate the cultural uses and special meanings of lei prior to Western contact. Many are introduced by poems especially written for this work by master ""kumu hula"", linguist and ethnologist Pualani kanaka'ole Kanahele. The authors present the lei art form in not ony words, but also pictures. Colour photographs showcase each plant and lei (shown by itself or worn), as well as places throughout the Islands associated specific flowers and plants. An appendix includes a complete list of lei plants, basic instructions for their propagation and other sources for material.