Grow Aloha
Third Wednesday | Every Month | 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Grow Aloha
Third Wednesday of every month

Kaiwiʻula Night Market Event

Grow Aloha
Third Wednesday | Every Month | 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Grow Aloha is a hui of plant adoption partners working together to restore Hawaiian plants and our relationships with them in urban areas. Bishop Museum is a proud partner and plant adoption site on Oʻahu.

In 2025, every second Wednesday of the month, drop by Bishop Museum at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market from 5 – 9 p.m. to adopt native plants for free.

Go here to learn more about the Grow Aloha partners across the pae ʻāina and how you can be a part of community-based biocultural restoration in 2025.

Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Location: Bishop Museum – Upper Parking Lot 2
Time: 5 – 9 p.m.
Reserve your plant online here and visit the Grow Aloha Booth at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to pick up your plant!

Plants Giveaways:

Milo: Milo (Thespesia populnea) is a large native tree that creates yellow flowers with maroon centers, starting around 2 years of age. It is tolerant to both drought and waterlogged soils, does best at low elevations (0-3,000 feet), in relatively dry areas (0-50 in rain per year) and is typically found near coastal areas. It prefers full sun but can tolerate partial sun. Grows about 1-3 feet per year in the first 7-10 years and then slows down and can reach about 35-65 feet at maturity.

Milo is considered a canoe plant brought over by Polynesians when settling on the Hawaiian Islands. While it provides a lot of shade, milo can be utilized in a variety of ways. Its bark can be stripped to make cordage, and its wood to carve out bowls and other utensils. The entire plant can be used when making lei and its fruits can be used to create a yellow-green dye.

Kalo: Kalo, also known as taro, is a root vegetable that grows well when planted in lo’i (fishponds) or rich, well-drained, and consistently moist soil. It does best when exposed to bright, indirect sunlight, as direct sunlight can burn the leaves. Kalo can be grown in both lowland and upland environments.

Kalo is an important aspect of Hawaiian culture. It was a staple in the diet of the Polynesians who first settled onto the Hawaiian Islands and is still eaten throughout the islands today, typically as poi. Kalo has been used as medicine, dye, fishing bait, as part of both spiritual and religious rituals, and more.

ʻIlima: ʻIlima (Sida fallax) is a flowering plant that grows in dry and mesic forests at a multitude of elevations. It can take on many forms from a small groundcover plant, when grown in lowlands, to a tall shrub, when grown upland. It prefers full-partial sun and to dry out in between waterings until it’s established and does not need extra watering.

ʻIlima is the official flower of Oahu. It is useful as a groundcover, especially in beach areas. ‘Ilima is often used for its medicinal qualities and for its aesthetic in lei making.

In 2025, every third Wednesday of the month, drop by Bishop Museum at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market from 5:30 – 7 p.m. to adopt native plants for free.

Go here to learn more about the Grow Aloha partners across the pae ʻāina and how you can be a part of community-based biocultural restoration in 2025.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Location: Bishop Museum – Upper Parking Lot 2
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Reserve your plant online by filling out the intake form below and visit the Grow Aloha Booth at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to pick up your plant!

Plants available for adoption:

Sold Out

ʻAkiohala/ hau hele wai: ʻAkiohala (Hibiscus furcellatus) is a medium-sized shrub that loves wet soils, because they naturally grow in marshes, they can even tolerate water-logged soil. They do best when given access to full sun but can tolerate partial sun. They can thrive in containers or in the ground and produce beautiful light purple-pink flowers that bloom all year round.

ʻAkiohala is the only hibiscus native to the Hawaiian Islands that can be found outside of the Hawaiian Islands, the rest are endemic. They have been cultivated on the Hawaiian Islands since the arrival of humans. Their heart shaped leaves and beautiful flowers have made them a favorite for many who encounter it.

Sold Out

ʻIlima is the official flower of Oahu. It is useful as a groundcover, especially in beach areas. ‘Ilima is often used for its medicinal qualities and for its aesthetic in lei making.

Sold Out

ʻUkiʻuki: ʻUkiʻuki (Dianella sandwicencis) is a grass-like plant that does well in a variety of growth environments. It averages about a 3-5 foot spread at maturity and does well when grown in containers, making it a great accent or landscape plant. It does well in areas with full-partial sun and needs to be well-watered until it is more established. ʻUkiʻuki is tolerant to drought, wind, salt-spray and heat. It makes small blue-white flowers that will produce small, bright, blue-purple fruits.

The leaves of ʻUkiʻuki can be braided together to make cordage and have been used as thatching when building houses. The fruits can be used to make seed lei, and when they are juiced and mixed with lime, they make a nice blue-purple dye that is used in making kapa.