I was looking around online for something entirely else and ran across this web page:
HOW TO PLANT A NATIVE HAWAIIAN GARDEN
An On-Line Handbook It is by the state Office of Environmental Quality Control of all unlikely people, but a really good website.
Here's their list of plant sources for our island:
* Aikane Nursery, P. O. Box 459, Kapa`au, 96755, Ph: 889-5906; info@aikanenursery.com
* Moeauoa Nursery, 75-0114 Mamalahoa Highway, Holualoa, Kona, Hawai`i, Ph: 329-5777
* Dianne Zink, 73-4445 Old Government Road, Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, 96740, Ph: 325-1003
* Hawaiian Gardens, P. O. Box 1779, Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, 96745. Ph: 329-5702
* Godfrey Ching, P. O. Box 944, Mountain View, Hawai`i, 96771, Ph: 968-8437
* Kapoho Kai Nursery, RR 2 Box 4024, Pahoa, Hawai`i, 96778, Ph: 965-8839
* Lehua Lena Nursery, Box 1479, Kea`au, Hawai`i, 96749, Ph: 966-7975
* Laura Spiegel, Box 1709, Honoka`a, Hawai`i, 96727, Ph: 775-0806
* Jill Wagner, Future Forests Nursery, P.O. Box 847, Kailua Kona, HI 96745, Ph: 325-2377
* Hawai`i District Forester, Ph: 933-4221, DOFAW/DLNR
and under "Plant Sales" for this island they have listed:
Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Bishop Museum, Captain Cook, Ph:323-3318; June and December semi-annual plant sales, "open house" on 2nd Saturday of every month, and Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
I don't know how current this information is, but they had a lot of other information on the website, too.
Some of the interesting things were the definitions. "Native" plants arrived without the help of people. They can either be "indigineous" meaning that they can be found in other places such as Tahiti or Mexico or California and the ones here look like the ones there. The other native plant type is "endemic" meaning the originally indigineous plants have changed into a different "endemic" species which is found only in Hawaii. Any of these can be "endangered" which is a plant in danger of extinction in it's natural range. I think this works for animals as well as plants.
There are pictures on the website, too, as well as descriptions of what some of the plants are used for and some growing instructions. Take 'akia, it is a nice shrub which historically was used for medicine and "stupifying fish" and to make it grow better, they suggest you occasionally throw a bucket of seawater on it. How often is that a garden suggestion?
A hui hou,
Cathy
