When Caz DiMarco was reassigned Garrett Webb’s lease on the ag lot at 73-4261 Lau‘i Street, he had plans for the nursery to augment his landscaping business, Hawaii Lawn and Landscape. Over the last few years, it has done that and more. He has recently expanded the nursery space, added new staff members and, of course, added a lot more plants.
He hired horticulturist Murli Fedorowski to manage the expansion full time, with the help of several part-time workers. Josh DiMarco, Tyler Aaron Jacobsen and Kim Parkes round out the staff to do plant maintenance, pest control and plant propagation. Each member of the team has special areas of interest and expertise.
Murli informed me, “My highly qualified team is responsible for making sure that all of the potted nursery plants are ready to sell.”
All members of the staff are knowledgeable about the plants in their inventory and are well equipped to meet customers’ needs and answer their questions.
Murli herself is well qualified for her position, with 25 years of experience in the industry. She has worked at other local nurseries including Hawaiian Gardens, Kainaliu Gardens and Sunrise Nursery. She has also worked in landscape maintenance for Sato Landscaping as well as her own landscape maintenance company, Tropical Insights.
When I recently spoke with her, she had a lot of ideas and energy for continuing to expand the nursery’s offerings as well as its client base.
Part of the five-acre lot has been planted in mangos for years that have been managed by Stuheart Johnson. Caz is currently interested in adding to the orchard space and has hired a farm manager to be responsible for this expansion.
The plans are to use sustainable agricultural practices to grow more “mother” plants for nursery propagation as well as more edibles. Adding lesser-known plumeria varieties to the orchard space would eventually allow for propagating them to offer for sale. Down the road, Caz hopes to be able to open the expanded space to the public as a botanical garden filled with a diversity of flavors, fragrances and beauty.
Murli pointed out, “We now have three new growing pads in the nursery and have added more ground covers, shrubs and fruit trees as well as a new shaded area for houseplants and shade-loving species.”
The expanded nursery space has made it possible for them to acquire lots of new varieties. They continue to maintain their original palm, hibiscus, croton and ti collections and have added lots of new ferns, succulents and an array of plants suited for the indoors. They also have room to feature some rare and unusual plants including hibiscus hybrids like the double crown jellyfish as well as the unusual variegated manila palm and the duckfoot croton. New varieties of crotons like Zanzibar and yellow mammy have also appeared.
On my several visits to this nursery, I’ve seen some interesting specimens that they continue to offer. ‘Ili Kupono has long specialized in colorful ti varieties, including the popular variegated Hawaiian flag and the rust-colored Peter Buck. The attractive Joey palm features solid fan-shaped fronds with an upright growth habit. Numerous foxtail palms are also in their collection.
They’ve been able to stock up on customer favorites like the red sealing wax palm and dwarf cocos. Customers are also delighted to find the kula gardenia, double pikake and pua kenikeni in stock as well. For those seeking the fragrant pakalana and stephanotis vines, those are now available at ‘Ili Kupono Gardens, in addition to the red and blue jade vines.
Their citrus section is greatly expanded to include some unusual specimens like the variegated pink lemon, the Tahoe gold mandarin and the semi-dwarf Dancy mandarin. They also stock standards including Meyer lemon, key lime and honey tangerine. More fruit trees have also been added including jaboticaba, breadfruit, lychee and several mango varieties.
Maintaining the palms that Caz acquired from Garrett along with the lease, was a large part of Caz’s initial commitment to the space. When Murli started working at ‘Ili Kupona, she immediately saw the need to positively identify all of the palms, label them and start collecting their seeds. She also wanted to grow more varieties of the native loulu palms and add shorter palms to meet homeowners needs.
Garrett and Brian Lievens came to the nursery and helped with species identification and labeling. Garrett taught Murli the best way to prepare seeds for propagation and continues to drop seeds off for her to propagate. The palms are now fertilized organically which has improved their health.
The nursery continues to participate in the plant pono program. ‘Ili Kupono does not grow or sell any plants that are designated as invasive.
Serving as a community resource has always been part of Caz’s plan for this space. He has developed a customer lounge area to better serve community members and their families. His plan for a café serving smoothies and local coffee is in the works. He and the staff are dedicated to welcoming visitors to tour the space and enjoy the plants.
Murli has also helped bring in the community by opening the space to gardening classes. A recent free educational offering on native Hawaiian trees was offered by Molly Murphy. The staff continues to look for gardeners willing to share their knowledge with community members.
Meanwhile, these new developments called for a new logo. To expand his interest in inviting community children as well as adults to visit ‘Ili Kupono Gardens, the new logo is a drawing of Caz’s young daughter, Naomi, on the swing that is in place under a large Ah Ping mango. Visiting children are encouraged to enjoy the swing that hangs, well shaded, under the tree near the center of the nursery.
When I asked Murli to name her favorite plant, she hesitated for a bit. I felt like I was asking a mother to name her favorite child.
She did finally answer, “I guess I would pick the native Hawaiian gardenia, the nanu, as my favorite.”
She went on to say that she really loves being able to offer native plants to the community and she finds the endangered nanu a lovely plant and the flower is beautiful as well as fragrant. With less than 20 wild nanu left in Hawaii, she likes being part of the nanu’s comeback in the nursery industry.
Nanu will grow to a small tree about 15 feet tall and is well-adapted to Hawaii’s weather. Though many gardenias are difficult to grow here, nanu can handle our dry seasons as well as our very hot days
The hot, dry location of ‘Ili Kupono Gardens makes it a great spot to look for many drought-tolerant species but they also have plants suitable for sites at upper elevations. If you haven’t visited these gardens for a while, now is a good time to check out all their new plants and expanded offerings. Visit, knowing that you will get expert service and care, and hopefully find some new plants for your home or garden.
Gardening Events
• Saturdays: “Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Come with a mask and be prepared to practice social distancing. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks provided. Visit the website www.amygreenwell.garden/get-involved/volunteer-1/ and sign up for the weekly email for more information on work days.
• Monday and Tuesday, June 19–20: “Organic and Sustainable Agricultural Practices” from noon to 5 p.m. (Zoom link provided at registration). Basics, benefits, practices and transitioning to organic farming online. $10 fee. Register for free at https://Organice-Transitioning-Sustainable.eventbrite.com. Contact Dr. Amjad Ahmad for more information at alobady@hawaii.edu.
• Save the date: Saturday, July 1: “55th Annual Meeting and Conference of the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association” from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nani Mau Gardens in Hilo. $50 for conference and lunch. Register at hawaiimacnut.org. Email hmnaemail@gmail.com for more information.
Farmer Direct Markets
(check websites for the latest hours and online markets)
• Wednesday:
Ho‘oulu Farmers Market
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay
• Saturday:
Keauhou Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center
Information on their online market: keauhoufarmersmarket.com/onlinemarket
Kamuela Farmer’s Market
7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables
Waimea Town Market
7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea
Waimea Homestead Farmers Market
7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea middle and elementary school playground
Sunday:
Pure Kona Green Market
9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook
Hamakua Harvest
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honoka’a
Plant Advice Lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu. 322-4893 or walk in.
Monday, Tuesday and Friday: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Komohana in Hilo. 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living part time in Kailua-Kona.
