Hui’s Foster Parents Nurture Native Plants

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Windward Oahu’s Hui o Ko’olaupoko, which strives to restore and preserve the ocean’s health, has found that its Native Plant Foster Parent program is making a difference in island ecology.

The program relies on volunteers to raise common native plants, which are beneficial to improving water quality and maintaining Hawaii’s ahupua’a.

“Most native plants are well-suited for the particular environments they grow in,” said the group’s community coordinator, Kristen Mailheau. “They’re less thirsty than some of the invasive tree species. Native plants can survive better through drought conditions and are suited and adapted to the hot climate, more so than the introduced species that take up more water.”

A native plant foster parent receives instructions on care, pest control, species and propagation in a free manual. Since the program began last summer, 11 foster parent groups made up of families, individuals and elementary schools have raised almost 300 plants.

“A majority of the plants will be returned to the project sites to enhance the plants that are already there, or replace plants that aren’t doing well,” Mailheau explained. “Some of the plants will stay with the foster parents as a reward for their efforts to keep as potted plants or to out-plant in their yards.”

Project sites include Kaha Garden, Kaelepulu Retrofit and Heeia Stream.

“I get to learn about native plants, propagation and how to care for plants and what kind of plants are good for the area I live in,” said Voe Eisenpress, a native plant foster parent. “I have about 20 plants that I take care of, and I let them hang out in their pots in my yard and I look over them and care for them. It’s really easy and not hard at all. It’s nice to have them in your yard.”

Hui o Ko’olaupoko held an April workshop to teach people of all ages how to grow native plants from seeds, how to care for them and how to naturally prevent pests.

Eisenpress encourages people to become foster parents because it is enjoyable and “the organization, when they need the plants, can use them to benefit the community and get more areas with native plants that everyone in the community can enjoy.”

Mailheau is very appreciative of the foster volunteers. “It’s been wonderful,” she said. “I have some foster volunteers who write to me every week and let me know how the plants are doing. They grow very connected to the plants they are caring for. It’s great to see how enthusiastic they are. They take pride in bringing back plants to the project sites and planting them themselves.”

To join the unique parents group, call 381-7202 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).