Question: Heidi, what can we grow in rocky Nanakuli as a replacement for lawn grass?  We don’t have the time or money to fertilize, mow, and water and we don’t like the thought of polluting our aquifer or ocean with chemical fertilizers.

Kupuna M.A., Nanakuli

Answer: Zephranthes lilies might be just the thing.  They look like grass and also have gorgeous flowers, an added benefit.  The pretty lily flowers tell us and the taxonomists that they are a lily, just like mondo “grass”, and Liriope.

After a good rain you sometimes see yellow lilies popping up.  I feel like this is a floral visit from May Moir.  One good place to see them is along Palolo Avenue.  They may have been the original akamai wai groundcover, planted along with gorgeous and low fuss no muss Magnolia trees, which are our City street trees.

May Moir, the late great Art Academy volunteer flower arranger, and natural Hawaiian gardener, was a big proponent of this simple plant.  They are lilies and they come in yellow, pink and white.  Check out the book “Floral traditions” if you want to learn more about May Moir and other volunteers who made floral designs of epic proportions for our local art center.  This book makes a great Holiday gift for the gardeners, flower and art lovers on your list.

They are perfect in a Japanese or Chinese rock garden.  Most of the time they look like a nice healthy mondo (also a lily) but sometimes they flower and then they are so pretty and striking.

After flowering is pau, don’t cut off the flower heads.  They will form seed pods with lots of flat black seeds stacked inside   They are easy to plant and grow.  They also don’t need much water so we like them in our less thirsty or xeriscape gardens.

Perfect in a rock garden, edge of driveway, in a pot.

The yellow Zephyr lilies are really choice and it’s such a cheerful color.   They respond to rain and a carpet of gold sprouts up.  This is one of those old-fashioned plants that lend itself well to low input gardening.