In The Garden
Friday, July 13, 2001
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rick Barboza, left, holds young kupukupu ferns and
Matt Schirman, papala, in their plant nursery. Papala's
sticky sap was used by ancient Hawaiians to catch birds.
It isn't clear which came first -- the mission to repopulate Hawaii with the islands' original flora and fauna, or the need to make a living after college. But it is clear that more than three years ago, Rick Kaponowaiwaiola Barboza and Matt Kapaliku Schirman stumbled onto a noble mission with an unexpected financial reward.
Or, how 2 college students stumbled
into a business that is restoring Hawaii's
native plants and turning a profit"We really didn't have a business plan or anything like that. We knew we cared about Hawaii's environment, and we were interested in Hawaiian plants, but we really didn't know it would work out so well for us," Barboza said.
The two childhood friends own and operate Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a Waimanalo nursery devoted to native Hawaiian plants. The nursery has more than 100 varieties of plants and is the sole supplier of native Hawaiian plants to Home Depot.
"We are busy, busy, busy. Other stores have asked us to supply them with plants, but we are pretty busy with what we've got now," Barboza said.The nursery is selling about 400 plants through Home Depot's Iwilei store and expects to increase sales as the home improvement chain opens its new store in Pearl City this month. (Home Depot carries a limited variety of plants from the nursery, but additional varieties are available upon request.)
The nursery is strictly a wholesale operation. There are no advertisements or signs at the entrance - other than a large sign declaring "No orchids" to discourage plant lovers wandering through the nursery-rich neighborhood seeking unusual plants.
The pair built their nursery on a portion of Schirman's parents' 1-acre property, setting up a small greenhouse, a seed house and tables out in the open for seedlings and cuttings. They also borrow part of a neighbor's property for their plants. In return for use of the properties, the two help mow the lawns, trim trees and perform other routine yard maintenance.The two met while they were in the seventh grade. Barboza attended Kamehameha Schools and Schirman went to Punahou, and a common interest in collecting old glass bottles brought them together. They built a strong friendship as they scoured the island every weekend for old bottles, sometimes hiking into the mountains and other times digging at construction sites. They both went to the University of Hawaii - Schirman majoring in Hawaiian studies, and Barboza studying zoology.
Although both learned about Hawaii's flora and fauna and their demise through their college studies, neither had training in horticulture. But their college years nurtured an interest in Hawaii's natural history and culture.
"I was interested in the birds, and the main cause for Hawaii's native bird population disappearing was the lack of suitable habitat," said Barboza. "The plants and trees that these birds co-evolved with over millions of years were cut down to be replaced by sugar cane, pineapple, pastures and cities."Everything comes back to the plants. That's how I got interested in the plants. Without the plants, nothing else that's native Hawaiian would exist," he said.
The two friends became interested in growing native plants for themselves but discovered they were difficult to obtain, as there were no large commercial growers. Eventually, they began their plant collections by frequenting Lyon Arboretum sales and a few scattered nurseries that had limited native plant supplies.
"We were two guys who basically had no knowledge about growing plants, especially the Hawaii stuff. We didn't know anything, so we just took it upon ourselves to learn as much as we can," Barboza said.
They read up on the plants, experimented and talked to other growers. The one thing they learned right away was that the plants grow quickly, and soon they had too many plants for their own yards. That's when the entrepreneurial light bulb went off in their heads, and they organized two native-plant sales at UH.The proceeds benefited Hawaiian studies, a cause they supported, and brought them a handsome profit, a welcome surprise for a couple of college students who had been holding part-time jobs to help pay for college.
With barely any publicity or advertising for their plants, the two became known as a source for native Hawaiian plants after the sales. Plant lovers would seek them out for supplies, but they didn't see the real business potential until Barboza happened to meet an administrator from Home Depot about a year and a half ago.
"I was working as a sushi chef in Waikiki, and he came in one night for sushi. Of course, I didn't know who he was. He was asking about Hawaii, and I was telling him about this place and that place. And at the end he asked, 'And what else do you do?'"
Barboza told him about the fledgling nursery that the two had started, and the administrator introduced himself and encouraged Barboza to contact Home Depot. Barboza called the Hawaii store the next day, and the manager was expecting his call.Since then the two have been working nonstop to build their business. They began with only plants and invested whatever money they earned from their other jobs to expand the business a little at a time. Now, sales are enough to support the business and allow for expansion.
"It isn't only about money for us," Schirman said. "We are grateful we have a successful business, but we'd like to see native Hawaii plants in every yard, everywhere."
Schirman said native plants - many endangered species - are now readily available and affordable through the nursery as well as other sources. But he's discouraged that government leaders have chosen foreign species or shadowy flowering mainland plants for landscaping.
"Why not put native Hawaiian plants in Hawaii? That's where they belong. Instead we have these noxious weeds, invasive plants that are bad for the environment," he said.Both Barboza and Schirman are firm believers in educating the public about native Hawaiian plants and observing laws restricting the propagation of native plants in the wild.
Their displays at Home Depot stores are accompanied by colored pictures of mature plants, care instructions and, sometimes, notes about their cultural significance. And they are involved in numerous public projects to reintroduce Hawaiian plants.
They encourage backyard growers to try native plants. Contrary to common misconceptions, the natives are easy to grow.
Every type of native plant they sell has been tested in their own yards or nursery, they said. They do nothing more than give the plants water and occasional doses of store-bought fertilizers and pesticides.
"We basically stick to the ones that can take care of themselves. We stick it in the ground, and if it grows, we keep it. If it doesn't, we try something else," Barboza said.
"If we can grow them, anybody can. Remember, we didn't know anything about plants. Not bad for two guys who didn't know what they were doing, don't you think?"
Gardening Calendar
Suzanne Tswei's gardening column runs Saturdays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI, 96813
or email stswei@starbulletin.com
