Q. We noticed on our daily morning stroll through the Hale Koa Hotel grounds that your veteran thornless kiawe trees are all toasty looking. Someone didn't spray them with weed killer or some tragedy like that, did they? Please reassure us. We love those hundred-plus-year-old giants, the no thorns is also a plus for our mo'opuna, who we bring with us on the weekends, if they don't have soccer in Kahuku! Your coconuts look fine and healthy as ever. ... We love the way your tree crew prunes them with common sense and aloha for this prized Polynesian tree of life.

— M.M. Kokubun, Waikiki

A. Remember the Kona blast of 2007? High Kona winds were predicted, and the front came in on two storm cycles, one on Jan. 29 and another on Jan. 31. We get Kona winds in winter, but never like this in all my 48 years. (Ironically, my best friend from kindergarten days, Susan Largosa Losey, celebrated her 49th on Jan. 29. She always did love wild weather!)

Anyway, that strong salt blast wreaked havoc on plants on the Leeward sides of the Islands. On Monday, Jan. 29, the air was filled with 'ehu kai — red dirt — so thick that it looked smoky. The air also was filled with flying tree debris. Coconut fronds sailed through the air, monkeypod and kiawe leaflets went airborne. It calmed down on Tuesday and then hit again on Wednesday and Thursday. On the windward sides, like in Kailua and along Kaukonahua Road below the Wai'anae Mountains, the Kona winds came down even stronger, accelerated by the slopes, and lots of trees were blown over or lost major limbs.

Like the "monsoon of 2006" (43 straight days of flooding rain), this strong, long Kona blast was unprecedented in Hawai'i. Trees and plants took a hit. Those tough, droughttolerant kiawe trees, native to driest Peru, look salt-burnt, but we think the green leaves will be back in a week or two.

Mahalo, readers, for all your letters (I love real mail!) and e-mails about the flood response in your gardens, and how that affected some of our cherished plants. It's all a learning experience, and after this Kona blast, you can really see what's salt-tolerant and what is not. This helps us plant the right things in the right places in our gardens, so everyone can be healthy and happy.

Please write, if you like, about how the salt blast affected your plants and gardens.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Submit questions at islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com or Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Letters may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.