Hui Ku Maoli Ola Native Hawaiian Plant Specialists

Great friendly staff, helpful; knowledgeable. Priced well!All native plants. Bought Mamaki tea plants, very healthy.

I had learned about Hui Kū Maoli Ola years ago when I still lived on the mainland. I moved back home a few months ago and finally made it out to the east side to visit!Apple Maps kept trying to take me to Papahana Kualoa for some reason. Fortunately, it's a loop so if your navigation does that, just get back on to Ha'ikū Road.If you're driving makai on Ha'iku Road, the nursery driveway will be on your left shortly after passing Kahuhipa Street/the He'eia Preschool sign on your right.If you're driving mauka on Ha'ikū Road, look for the green and white Hui Kū Maoli Ola sign on your right, just before Kahuhipa Street/the He'eia Preschool sign on your left.It's a relatively small nursery but still worth a visit, especially if you're searching for or have questions about native and endemic plants. I saw other reviews that one of the staff members was rude and unhelpful but maybe there was a staffing change since then because I had a great experience. The staff member (not sure about her name but a haole lady) was very welcoming and happy to answer any questions I had.There are greenhouses towards the back but those are for their seedings not ready for sale yet so kapu unless you wanted to check out the ferns for sale in that area, then a staff member can guide you there. Otherwise, everything for sale is out in front in the open area. Sections marked with red flags are already spoken for though. There are mostly the same plants you can find at the hardware stores they sell to (City Mill, Home Depot) but I did find a kou plant which I hadn't been able to find at my local City Mill or Home Depot. They also have larger sizes of plants than they typically sell at stores. If you're interested in something but don't see it out in the nursery, don't be afraid to ask a staff member! They brought out this big 'ilima for me from the back because I didn't see any in front. I was hoping to find ko'oloa'ula too but they're still prepping the seeds. If you live far away, you could call ahead to check too.This organization does amazing work not just providing native and endemic plants for businesses and the public but also education! Their website is a wealth of knowledge, as are the staff members. I like how the plant descriptions on the signs (even at Home Depot) are written in plain language with some humor thrown in. For more info, another great resource online is Plant Pono. According to their website, Hui Kū Maoli Ola offers plant rentals for events too, though I haven't used that service.

Shopping for Mother's Day...What do you give to the woman who carried you for nine months in her own body and brought you into this world?I don't know about you, but I am forever in debt to my mom. I just want her to be happy... and her garden is her Happy Place!My plan was to take her to this nursery in Kaneohe which specializes in Native Hawaiian plants. However, it wasn't open on Sunday and she felt tired on Monday, so, I had to select Ohia Lehua plants for her.I read reviews about Hui Ku Maoli Ola Native Hawaiian Plant Specialists and called first to make sure that they had Ohia Lehua plants. Yes!I drove along Haiku Road, past Haleiwa Joe's, towards the elementary school and the Ko'olau Mountain Range. It's a scenic drive - even when it's overcast and drizzling. Those ominous gray clouds were not going to stop me from achieving my goal!When I arrived, I parked where I wasn't blocking anyone. I had read that the paths might be muddy, but I'm okay with that.Rueben was a big help to me. After I found the Ohia Lehua, he identified the orange and red varieties. He pointed out that some plants were mislabeled and asked which area will the plants grow? I answered: Nu'uanu. He said that they should have no problem there. I looked for the plants with the largest stems and most branches! Haha!Payment by credit card was efficient and thorough. Rueben entered my name and phone number into their system for future reference. I told him that I will probably be back next month and bring mom for her birthday!When I took the plants to mom's house, the look on her face was priceless! I showed her that the taller plant will have red flowers and the wider plant is the rarer orange flowering plant. She was beaming and speechless!#missionaccomplishedThanks to Rueben and the staff of Hui La Maoli Ola Native Hawaiian Plant Specialists for making my mom's wishes come true!

Nice spot and lots of plants, but Jeeze! The one female staff was not polite at all. I think her name was Lehua? Or Leinani? She talked to us like we were completely dumb for not understanding where to automatically go/park. It's not like there's an obvious parking area and there is no sign other than the one outside out on the street. It is clear that her strengths are just caring for the plants and not having any human interaction. Very unprofessional.On a few occasions, I've corresponded with whoever manages their Instagram and they seem to be very knowledgeable, quick, and polite!It's a beautiful spot and lots of native plants--but be prepared for the major attitude.

If you are looking for a Hawaiian plant this is an excellent place to start. The workers here are very knowledgeable and take the time to answer questions that you might have. I needed a plant for a lāau lapaau class that I'm taking and they had a great selection that was perfect for what I needed. The worker that helped us was able to answer the many questions that we had which was great such as how often to water, when and how should we repot it, what is the best way to care for it, etc. Also the process for paying was very simple and fast.Definitely will be back again!

Our sixth grade students needed a'ali'i, uala, and uluhe fern for a project presentation. I put them in charge of reaching out to Hui Kū Maoli Ola and they forgot to share their contact information when they called. We called again two days before the presentation and Kelvin confirmed that we could pick up the next day. But they do not grow uluhe ferns. He gave us the option of four other native ferns. Seriously blown away by their customer service and ability to kōkua our students with such last minute notice. When our kumu went to pick up the lā'au she said they made her feel like 'ohana (no ferocious dog in sight).

The largest native plant nursery on island open on the weekdays. At the stop light, enter the Haiku neighborhood and follow the long road which will take you near Kamehameha Pre school. At the end of the road, it'll bend right and shortly thereafter is the entrance on the left. I finally made the drive down this side to see if they specifically had some Ohi'a lehua's I could take home and grow too. However, they did not have any at the time. It's an endangered native plant that I sometimes see in the mountains. I highly recommend wearing some shoes/rain boots if you come here. We came on a wet day and our feet had gotten quite dirty.. As my son and I wandered around, someone eventually came to check on us. The lady was very sweet but I don't recall catching her name. I am just a beginner gardener so I asked lots of questions on how best to take care of the plants I was interested in. (How often to water, does it thrive well in rainy Wahiawa weather, when can I move it from pot to ground or can it live in a pot..) Really though..I have yet to discover my green thumb lol.. I like how there were signs with the plant name and some information. That really helped! If you can't make it here on the weekdays, they also have some of their plants at Home Depots.

The staff was totally unfriendly and almost every plant they had was sold according to the unfriendly woman who works there. I think the people who work here are a bad representation of what a nursery that sells native Hawaiian plants should show- Aloha! Sorry but customer service plays a big part in what your company should portray when wanting to sell plants. I work at a hotel and was looking for some new foliage for our grounds but I will not be going to these people for it!

No response after one email. Not sure why they post use email for contact. The nursery was interesting but only workers and no staff to assist.

Don't waste your time visiting this nursery. The supervisor is rude, surly and condescending. He acts as if you are interrupting them and they're doing you a favor by selling to you. You won't find any friendly aloha or good customer service here. A'ole auwe hewa.