A day of fun for native plant enthusiasts.Get your garden groove on at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens (MNBG) Native Hawaiian Plant Sale on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.
MNBG has invited the Native Nursery, Ho‘olawa Farms, Kulamanu Farms and New Moon Enterprises, the backyard adventures of local grower “Fern Man” Pat Bily, to show off Native Hawaiian plants of the dry forest and coastal areas of Maui Nui.
“The botanical gardens are a great epicenter for plant providers around the islands,” said Ethan Ramanchak, co-owner/manager of Kula’s Native Nursery. “This sale is more of a fun day for us and less about profit.”
“It’s the perfect plant day for local growers and buyers all around,” said Lisa Raymond, executive director of MNBG. “It’s a unique opportunity to have a broad selection for people who want to buy for cultural or landscape purposes.”
For native plant enthusiasts, this sale, which occurs twice a year at MNBG’s home base in Kahului, is a chance to come face-to-face with native plant farmers. Most involved deal on a wholesale basis, and this day allows them to connect personally with buyers of their special plants.
“Our biggest thing is, as a wholesaler, we get to show people who wouldn’t normally shop through us what we have to offer,” said Ramanchak. “We really get to see what the public likes, what they know about, and over the years the knowledge of the public has grown and grown.”
A grand selection of Hawaiian and Polynesian-introduced ground covers, shrubs and trees will be available for purchase. This summer’s plant theme involves a specialty sale of taro varieties, dry and wetland, along with hinahina, ‘ohai, kukui, manini bananas, ‘ulei, ‘ilima papa, ‘ihi, lehua and many more. Experts will be on hand to help buyers choose just the right plants for their homes, and for the first time ever, multi-colored grafted Hawaiian hibiscus will be available.
“These will go fast; trust me,” said Raymond. “I advise shoppers to come early as items go very quickly. It’s intense. There’s lots of running.”
“There’s always been a line outside before these events, many times as early as an hour before it starts,” said Anne Carter, owner of Kulamanu Farms. “It’s pretty challenging to find some of these plants regularly, and this sale allows you to find native plants for your yard at reasonable prices.”
As the host, MNBG takes 20 percent of each vendor’s profits for advertising and coordination, which has made this event a rising success over the last five years. Best sellers and most sought-out plants include ‘ohai and momaki, from which many make tea.
The Maui Association of Landscape Professionals will also be on hand with an “Ask the Experts” booth, providing helpful hints when it comes to plant identification and recommendations for Maui’s gardeners. The County Water Department will also be present to give out water conservation devices, such as low-flow showerheads.
“We can not only educate on Hawai‘i’s plant life, but also take a chance to bring up awareness of Maui’s environmental and water conservation issues,” said Carter.
The MNBG’s next big event is coming up in November for Arbor Day.
“We’re mixing it up over here at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens,” said Raymond.
The Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is located at 150 Kanaloa Avenue in Kahului, just across from the War Memorial Stadium. For more information, call 249-2798 or visit www.mnbg.org.