Bringing ʻĀina Home: Growing Connections to Lānaʻi

August 2026 — Starting in September, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center will offer locally grown plants for purchase through its nursery program, giving ʻohana another way to bring a piece of Lānaʻi home and practice mālama ʻāina in their own yards and gardens.

Located at Pūlama Lānaʻi Community Gardens, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center’s 2,000-square-foot nursery supports the propagation of native and Polynesian-introduced plants while also serving as an outdoor classroom for students. Through hands-on learning, keiki gain knowledge of Hawaiʻi’s plants and their role in a healthy biocultural landscape.

Now, that connection can extend beyond the nursery. Previously available primarily through community events, plants will be available for purchase directly through Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center, with a changing selection of locally grown plants chosen to support Lānaʻi’s unique environment.

The selection includes a changing variety of native and Polynesian-introduced plants, from ʻōhiʻa lehua grown from Lānaʻi seed stock to native ʻākia, ʻihi, ʻilieʻe and ʻukiʻuki. Other offerings include kokiʻo keʻokeʻo, kokiʻo ʻula, kupukupu fern and palapalai, along with familiar garden plants such as Hawaiian chili pepper, lemongrass, moringa, strawberry and roselle hibiscus. The selection will change regularly, with a minimum purchase of $20 per order. To view the current selection, go here.

Some of these plants have a special connection to Lānaʻi. The ʻōhiʻa lehua, for example, is native and endemic to Hawaiʻi, with plants in the nursery grown from Lānaʻi seed stock. Native plants such as ʻākia and ʻilieʻe also support the island’s biocultural landscape, while deer-resistant varieties can offer practical options for local gardens.

Whether you are growing food, adding native plants to your landscape or simply looking for a new way to connect with the ʻāina, growing plants at home can be an act of mālama. Each plant offers an opportunity to learn, nurture and care for the land in a small but meaningful way.

For those interested in learning more about the nursery or arranging a huakaʻi, or field trip, to visit with students, Kari can also help coordinate a visit.

From the nursery to the home garden, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center’s plant program is growing more than plants. It’s creating new ways for ʻohana to connect with ʻāina, deepen their knowledge and carry the practice of mālama ʻāina into everyday life.