2. Look for sucking pests such as aphids and scales, or the black sooty mold that accompanies their feeding. If you see these, squirt on liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap is my favorite) to smother the pesky insects; the soap will not poison you, your family, pets or neighbors.

Let the soap dry on the pests for about an hour before wiping off with a soft cloth.

3. Top-dress the soil around your gardenia with cinder and compost. Monkeypod and lychee leaves make for great mulch.

Gingers

Gingers thrive with lots of fertilizers, rich compost, organic matter and daily watering.

Choose fertilizers such as 10-20-20 or 10-30-20 for gingers.

2. Gingers also thrive with rich compost and lots of organic matter. Pile leaves around the ginger roots without them touching the stems.

3. You also can use good-quality made-in-Hawai'i compost such as Menehune Magic to top-dress your ginger patch.

4. Gingers like lots of water, so water daily if it doesn't rain.

5. Like most flowering plants, gingers respond to sun, so chop out weedy fiddlewood, Christmas berry and other pests. Toss the weeds on the compost pile for beneficial re-use in the garden.

Note: White and yellow fragrant gingers are natural summer bloomers, so shine a light on them at dusk to get them to bloom a little earlier.

'Ohi'a lehua

2. Lightly top-dress with compost mixed with red or black cinder

3. Keep a light hand on the fertilizer with natives such as 'ohi'a lehua. Some of the best gardeners NEVER use any chemical fertilizer on prized natives such as 'ohi'a.

Palapalai

1. Water this fern daily. Plant them near the hose bib by the front door, so that you'll remember to water it on the way in and out of your home.

2. Lightly foliar-fertilize with fish emulsion or half strength of Miracle-Gro.

3. Watch for caterpillars and pick them off by hand.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant.