Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens was flourishing with life Saturday, hosting its first plant sale since closing down in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s a high demand for it, it’s been going fantastic,” said Kim Kaho‘onei, who was recently named the new director of the Friends of Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens.
The nonprofit was established in 2016 after the Bishop Museum closed the South Kona site that January. The garden was purchased by the group in 2019 and reopened in February 2020, just as the pandemic hit.
Overlooking Kealakekua Bay, the historic Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens includes five parcels of land featuring accessible and well-explained archaeological sites. The ethnobotanical garden contains three separate pieces consisting of Greenwell’s former residence and garden, the nursery and garage piece, and the modern Visitor Center and parking lot site.
The garden, named after Amy Greenwell, a beloved community member and botanist who died in 1974, has been a hub for residents and visitors alike. Despite the pandemic-induced closures over the past two years, each Saturday, a group of volunteers has come with shovels in hand, ready to mulch and weed over 200 various plant species, some of which, have medicinal and healing properties.
“The garden has always been a sacred place, it’s always been a place you can go and walk around and you see birds and the special plants that are here,” said Alan Rolph, a Friends of Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens board member.
Kaho‘onei agreed.
“The garden is like a sanctuary, at least for myself,” she said. “Although I’ve been the director for two months, my husband was a worker here before the garden closed. I got married here in 2015. I have this great relationship with the garden. It’s a second home. There’s places that call you, I feel drawn here. I feel like this place has been that for a lot of different people.”
When Greenwell died in 1974, she left her property to the Bishop Museum as a “educational and cultural resource.” In 2016, the property was put on the market, prompting concerns over its future. Ultimately, the Friends formed and purchased the site with, private state and federal funds for $1.4 million to keep the garden going.
The garden is now open four days a week, and Kaho‘onei is eager to return to pre-pandemic festivities.
“We used to have festivals and workshops. Our hope is to bring that back,” she said.
Kaho‘onei revealed her plan to bring in a series of speakers, local practitioners, to do a talk series each week.
“We are revamping the Amy house into a community meeting place. That’s where we want to do lecture series,” she added.
Shoppers were excited as well.
“It’s my first time here, I live here. I’ve never been up here before but it’s beautiful,” said Nan.
Volunteers can take part in work days at the garden every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Volunteers should meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks are provided. For more information, email pvandyke@bishopmuseum.org.