When driving South along Ala Kinoki Way (the Koloa By Pass Rd), look carefully on the right side just past the Koloa junction (Weli Weli Rd) you will see a small "plaque" dedicating the planting of the gorgeous Rainbow Shower Trees that line the road on the way to Poipu. The humble "plaque" states that in 1996 The Koloa Community Association (KCA) donated the Rainbow Shower Trees to the “community.”
No Ka Oi Landscape Services (then No Ka Oi Plants) was asked to support the original 1996 tree planting. It was at the suggestion of Abby Santos, NKO CFO and Licensed Landscape Contractor, that KCA choose the Rainbow Shower Tree for this beautification project.
The vision for Ala Kinoki Way is to be lined with a colorful canopy of tropical trees that would bring beauty, a sense of place and offer a shaded welcoming green-way to locals and visitors driving to and from Poipu. The Koloa bypass road is very windy, hot and dry making the selection of the type of tree that would be sustainable without irrigation and could withstand the microclimate of the area critical to the project’s success. The Rainbow Shower Tree was a perfect selection.
The Koloa Rainbow Shower Trees have beautiful flower clusters that start blooming in late Spring with rice paper like blossoms ranging in hue from deep pink, to soft yellow, to a snowy white. A sterile hybrid that originated in Hawaii from the cross pollination of its Asian ancestors - Golden Shower Tree and Pink Shower Tree-the Rainbow Shower Tree is bright, beautiful and elegant.
Rainbow Shower Trees are drought tolerant. They grow best in full sun, hot, and dry conditions. Perfect for Koloa/Poipu! The mature height of this hybrid is 30–40 ft, and the colorful canopy can cover up to 35ft. Rainbow Shower Trees grow well in sandy to clay soils.
There are several different cultivars of the Hawaii hybrid Rainbow Shower Trees (Cassia x nealia), each having various colors of flowers, often maturing from one color to another. The Wilhelmina Tenney variety has red, yellow, and white blossoms in each cluster and the designation of being the official tree of Honolulu! The Queen’s Hospital White’s first bloom with yellow-orange flowers that become a creamy white with maturity. The Lunalilo Yellow starts with rich golden blossoms that soften to a light yellow over time and the Nii Gold blossoms are rich golden yellow.
Because the Rainbow Shower Tree is a sterile hybrid, the trees do not produce seed pods. Another plus is the root system is non-aggressive. Annual pruning aids in shaping and flower production. This low maintenance makes it ideal for planting in Hawaii’s parks, along roadways and in resort and commercial landscapes.
The shower of flowers makes us lucky we live Hawai'i Nei!
