Owner, Pamela Tumpap, President of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, first took an interest in plants and gardening after meeting her fiance Brian Kashima, a landscape contractor and the owner of Island Landscape.

As their relationship grew, so did her love of plants and different landscape styles.  Along the way, Pamela learned how to use various landscape design software tools and would assist Brian with computer aided garden designs.  From their collaboration came the desire to create a beautiful garden for all.

This idea was solidified when Pamela and Brian accidentally stumbled upon the Manito Gardens in Spokane, Washington - an array of beautiful gardens that drew them in, exciting and inspiring them, while also soothing their souls.

Pamela knew then that this was the legacy she wanted to leave for Maui - a place like no other, where nature and beautiful gardens would improve people's lives - and Brian offered his support and help.  Whether someone wanted to surround themselves in beauty, or celebrate a special occasion, or feel the warmth of the sun, or needed to renew their spirit, or find peace, or learn something new, or laugh and play, or just be, they knew they could create such a place and that it would be a part of their life's work.  So, they set out to build a series of gardens and an ag-, eco-, edu- and volunteerism-tourism business to touch people's hearts and be a gathering place for residents and visitors alike.

Working toward fulfilling this mission, Pamela spent two years looking for the right parcel and working on garden designs, while Brian began collecting plants and developing a nursery and sod farm to jump start the project when land was secured. 

Originally, a parcel in Haiku was desired, but the conditions of sale did not work. They kept searching and praying that the perfect location would be found.  It was.

After discussing the project with Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, he and his brother Wally, and their wives Ann and Karen (respectively), agreed to help Pamela and Brian make The Aloha Garden of Maui a reality by providing a long-term lease on 10 acres of their family's land in Kula, Maui, Hawaii for the project.

With the land secured, ground was broken and work began with Pamela and Brian bootstrapping the effort. A base yard was established for the development, money was saved to purchase the heavy equipment needed and equipment was eventually purchased.  Pamela created the business plan and Brian started small plant nursery to get started. They then moved into creating the farm area, starting with citrus and later coffee.  However, they encountered several setbacks along the way.  Pamela spent over a year working with a government planner redesigning the gardens as the planner assured Pamela that their agency could support initial funding of over $150,000 given the garden's many conservation efforts.  After multiple redesigns and the planner abruptly leaving just as that funding was to be realized, she learned that the planner was incorrect at the agency could not support it at that level.  During this time, Brian was also struggling with deer destruction.  Deer are a major problem for Upcountry farmers as they gnaw on or completely eat plants, trip over irrigation systems, and break them.  Despite the hurdles, which have made us stronger, the dream lives on and we are moving forward.

 

Brick sales were always planned as a way for people to be a part of and connect with this Maui botanical garden and arboretum in paradise.  Proceeds were initially meant for additional amenities (benches, fountains, etc.).  However, given all the up front costs needed to build the garden, they will be used to help us speed up progress on the garden's construction.  As Pamela serves on the Board of Feed My Sheep and Brian is a strong supporter, 10% of all brick sales will be contributed to Feed My Sheep, a nonprofit organization that has "friends" not "clients" and feeds Maui's hungry in body, mind and spirit each week (www.feedmysheepmaui.com or 808-872-9100).  Find out more about having your brick in paradise here.  Additionally, we created a line of children's clothing, from baby onesies to youth tees, that feature our "Little Aloha Bugs" (Little Love Bugs) designs, with baby bugs and funny local or inspirational sayings.  All proceeds from sales of these items benefit the garden.  We also offer a variety of In-Kind Donations, Sponsorships, and Volunteer Activities to help further support the garden.  Please click here to learn more.

All are invited to share in this dream and follow the garden's progress on this website or by subscribing to this site for news updates and special offers.

Please stay tuned and Mahalo (thank you) for your interest in The Aloha Garden of Maui.