Koolau Farmers is a locally owned/operated nursery and garden supply business that are home gardening experts. It was started in 1938 by East Oahu farmers and a Kailua papaya cooperative as a farmer-founded business entity that shifted from farming to home gardening. Today, it supplies plants, floral arrangements, fertilizers, pesticides, garden tools, etc. for home gardeners. There are currently two locations for Koolau Farmers: Kaneohe and Honolulu (McCully). This review is for the Honolulu location. Items that the McCully location carry include: bromeliads, flowers, fruit, orchids, palms, fruit trees, peppers, tropical fruits, shrubs, soil, trees, veggies, hono hono orchids, dwarf fruit trees (Meyer lemon, Tahitian limes, Naval oranges, jabong, grafted mango, avocado). It also offers seed starting supplies, fertilizers for plants and flowers, worm composting bins; and info re growing and care of indoor potted plants, organic gardening, soil testing, and proper lighting. What brought us to Koolau Farmers is my lilikoi vine that I've had in my back yard for a number of years. With the help of bees, the vine had flourished and produced many delicious fruits for homemade lilikoi desserts, such as lilikoi chiffon pie, lilikoi curd, lilikoi bars, and more. But in recent years, the flowers would bloom, but because there are no bees to pollinate the lilikoi flowers, no fruits are produced. Questions to Koolau Farmers confirmed that there is a lack of nesting sites for carpenter bees (I think they're known as the black bumblebees that we no longer see) to pollinate the lilikoi flowers, resulting in a lack of fruit. According to Koolau Farmers, the flowers must be hand-pollinated instead. Staff provided instructions to my hubby on how to hand-pollinate the beautiful lilikoi flowers. A work in progress, and I'm sure more questions to follow. Then the next project will be our dwarf local orange tree. Where is the fruit? There's a single tiny orange on it, yes, only one! Hope Koolau Farmers can help us on this one! Another work in progress. Staff is very knowledgeable, helpful, and provides helpful guidance. An unlikely spot in urban Honolulu to have a nursery and garden supply store, but I'm glad that it's there! The interior space is not that big, but houses boxes of fertilizers and various home gardening equipment for home gardeners. There may be displays of seasonal items on how to grow certain plants, such as hono hono orchids. Open daily from 8a to 5p. Free parking in the private lot. On the outside private lot are scattered variety of healthy local plants, herbs, orchids, and fruit trees. We look forward in working with Koolau Farmers and knowing that they are there to help us with our home gardening needs! read more

See all

Gardening in Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii... My parents have green thumbs... it helps when you live in lush Nu'uanu Valley! My siblings and I always had plants around us and learned basic techniques from our parents. My mom has prized hanging heliconia plants and torch gingers. When they're not blooming, she complains, but doesn't water the plants extra nor give them fertilizer. I'm the kind of person who will do something to make her happy. After several suggestions to mom about fertilizer, I went to Ko'olau Farmers on Beretania Street and got a bag of fertilizer. This store has been around for a very long time. It's a locally owned name with another location in Kaneohe! I read the labels and asked the cashier if the one I selected would be good for heliconias... He said that this mix will force the plant to bloom. It won't necessarily get greener. Perfect! I can't wait to see the results! read more

See all

Koolau Farmers is a locally owned nursery and garden supply. I came because my daughter has tasked me with rejuvenating her herb garden. Koolau carries a wide variety of plants, gardening tools, fertilizers and even fresh local produce. The assortment of tropical plants is amazing. I was tempted by the vast array of succulents. I found the herbs I was looking for and the plants looked very healthy. I also picked up a bunch of apple bananas that were beautiful. Prices are reasonable and the staff is aloha friendly. They have a private parking lot so it is easy to carry the plants to the car. I'll be back after I get this herb garden in shape. read more

See all

What a great store! I wanted to get some orchids for my mom but I live in Canada, so I called the store and they took the time to help me choose some unusual varieties and even stayed on the phone while I looked up the color of each one. They wrapped them up really nicely and even texted me a pic. read more

Didn't buy anything, had a look around at their variety. I wish they had a little more herbs. For a small place as such the prices were average, probably a little more than the box stores but probably little better quality on their starters. read more

I was looking to liven up my office. Great selections. Helpful staff. I've seen similar plants at other places. But theirs looked livelier.

I love this place! They have a nice selection and the staff is really cool. They are very knowledgeable and their prices are great!

I LOVE this place. The prices are "reasonable" on their succulents but, not all will agree because if you're an avid succulent fan you can propagate a plant basically for free. Anyhoo, I digress.... I love this place because 1) the customer service is super friendly! I've visited at different times with different workers and all have been consistently great. 2) they carry certain soils/soil products and mixing mediums that many other Big Box stores do not carry. I will always shop local, small business and with workers who know what they're talking about and feel passionate for their products. Periodt. read more

I went back to Koolau Farmers.. and the lovely young lady that helped me before.. Kelly took out her Iphone to look up again.. cat friendly plants. I ended up with another prayer plant, 2 guzamania, 2 orchids for family, air plant.. with Christmas decoration, and a Money Tree.. Lawerance helped put everything in the car.. I had lost my little dog a week ago, and at 82.. my cat energy has picked up.. as Mine.. The service was EPIC..My Hollidays.. will be Spirit Filled Thanks to KFarmers read more

See all

Thanks to the wonderful people who work at Koolau Farms.. my friend got a perfect small Christmas tree yesterday. Very reasonably priced. The nursery is beautiful and it has a nice family energy Happy Holidays and Mahalo read more

This is the cutest nursery! Amazing service and great selection! Go on Wednesday for fresh local fruits.

Helpful staff and tons of options. This is definitely my new go to for all my plant needs.

Great for plants. The people there are very helpful and friendly. They are willing to halo you with all your plant needed. read more

This is the best place to get plants. The ones I have purchased have always been healthy unlike the big box stores. I bought several desert rose plants which you can't find other places on island. Staff is usually helpful. Some of their gardening items like soil and fertilizer are priced a little high, but I think the plants are pretty reasonable. read more

Great variety of plants! You can find anything you want from simple plants to herbs and orchids. I was happy with my selection but must say it's pretty pricey there. Staff were excellent! They helped me a lot read more

Koolau Farmers - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

I love this place! They have lots of healthy local plants . Their selection is sometimes limited but worth the wait to get that perfect healthy plant. Since I'm new to planting in the islands I love that they are willing to share their knowledge on care of each plant you buy there and advice on plants and soil situation that you are dealing with! It's great to deal with knowledge people! read more

Best selection of plants for a great price. I always come here and love looking at all the greenery they have. The plants also are well taken care of and strong and don't immediately die like Home Depot plants do due to shock of being moved from outdoor to indoor. Love it here. read more

Koolau Farmers is a gardeners heaven, with everything that a green thumb needs - and wants - for their garden. All locations have limited parking and South Beretania is no different but it's worth going early to take your time and wander inside and out of their nursery spaces. They have a wonderful collection of rare plants for sale, from variegated whale fin and monstera deliciosa to philodendron pink princess. Most of those are behind a roped-off area with a "kapu" sign to indicate it's off limits to the public. If you want to see one up close before purchasing, you'll need to request the assistance of one of the helpful staff. They also have one of the best seed collections on island, including a large display from Fukuda Seed Store, whose seeds are adapted to Hawaii's climate. Such a hidden gem along this busy street, if you're ever looking for a plant as a gift - for others or yourself haha - you should check out this local business! read more

See all

I called the other Koolau Farmers locations looking for crown flower. Neither of them had, so I called this location, turns out they had a lot! Yes! Score! I had bought a lavender crown flower plant elsewhere, and we had a caterpillar who was going through the leaves on our small plant like crazy, so I was desperate to find more. I'm so glad they still had here. I really liked this location. It's like finding a little forest in the middle of town. :D And the employees are very friendly and helpful I'm also excited to see these crown flower bloom, which will be soon. These that I found here will have white flowers. I'm so used to seeing the lavender ones around. read more

I was looking to get a "mahalo - thank you" gift/ plant for my niece and sister- and came across Ko'olau Farmers along Beretania, by chance. Jordan - part of the staff there - was so full of wonderful information and instruction on the best indoor plants and walked me around its medium size nursery to show me my options. They have these way cool, unique *charcoal-dark grey* ZZ's that I had never seen before ....since they were over my budget - I didn't get - but I will eventually because they are quite the lookers.....Okay - well, I did end up buying their last 'baby' one - for $9.99.....it may take 4 years to get it mature - like their matured ones - but it will be worth it ! I ended up purchasing a couple lei's, a healthy full spider plant, a small variegated pathos, and hanging felt container, as well as the baby black ZZ- all at a affordable price for me. I adore plants - and well Jordan there is even more enthusiastic and knowledgeable about them and it was so refreshing to have him assist me since he was so 'passionate' about plants. A super, fun experience and purchase! Mahalo Ko'olau Farmers. I'll be back ! read more

They have so many varieties of plants and all other gardening items. I came here to get planting pots and mixing soil. I had a question about the mixing soil and I got a clear answer from the person who was at the cashier. They take care even small shopper like me They have lots of parking spaces. Plants lovers have to go there! They also sell papayas, limes and other fruits and vegetables (I think they are house grown). read more

Koolau Farmers - My new pot and left over potting mix (orange bag). Now this plant got her own pot and another stronger plant got her own pot as well. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I was selected to participate in the HDOA Microgrant program. Essentially I was given a small grant to grow food in a food insecure area of the island. Koolau farmers has been my favorite resource along this journey. They're friendly and really knowledgeable. I also feel good spending this grant money at a local business. Grateful to have them in our community's read more

Koolau Farmers provides excellent service & advice about plant care & their products are reasonably priced. The staff are extremely friendly, knowledgeable, & helpful in resolving concerns & questions. I highly recommend Koolau Farmers for garden & plant needs! read more

Service is Great! Very convenient to shop at on Beretania Street! Staff are very helpful.

A real neighborhood small business. Helpful. Well stocked. Convenient want them to continuing their service.

After looking for plants at Home Depot and Lowe's, I must say that Koolau Farmers is head and shoulders above the competition. It makes sense seeing as they only handle plants, but the difference is noticeable. On top of having a much wider selection with some rarer options that I've never seen before, their plants overall are just a great deal healthier and better cared for. For that there is a price premium, it feels like on average the same type of plants have 20-50% higher price tags than at the big box stores, but when you're only talking about a couple dollars more for something that's much more likely to survive, it seems well worth it. This location is easy to miss if you don't keep your eyes open, it's on the left hand side of the street. Parking can be difficult during peak hours, they only have about 10 parking stalls. read more

Koolau Farmers - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

No matter if you are a green thumb or a brown thumb, Koolau Farmers is the place to go. Despite being in the middle of town, they got something from everything to a small garden, home and/or apartment. Small to large, flowering to ornamental, fruiting to producing, potted to seed and all the supplies you need to get your oxygen producing environmental friendly growing on. One thing that I really like about Koolau Farmers is the staff. They are always busy doing something, but if you have a question, they stop and give you their full attention. Very knowledgeable and helpful. You can't say that about the large warehouse store that has a small garden shop. The quality of their plants are hardy and ready to go. They take great care of them while waiting to be purchased, so you don't take home anything that is half dead. Can't guarantee you won't kill it if you have a brown thumb, but it will have a fighting chance. They also have a nice assortment of flowering plants that would make the prefect gift if you need something in a hurry. read more

Koolau Farmers - Entrance - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Back for more cat grass. Nothing available today so we bought soil, pots and the seeds to plant our own. This is the place to come whether it's for herbs, orchids, green house plants or CAT GRASS. whatever it's is your garden needs i'm sure they have it. read more

See all

I needed to get a refund for a product I bought at the Kaneohe location and came here since I live close by. However the staff here were not very friendly or willing to give me a refund since it was missing the price sticker despite being completely attached to its original packaging. She then proceeded to tell me that I could have bought it from the Navy Exchange and trying to return it here. RUDE. And asked me why did I even take the price sticker off in the first place. RUDE. (What if this was a gift!?) And said I need to go to Kaneohe and HOPE that they remember me if I wanted to get refund.. what a grump! I called the Kaneohe location and explained the situation and they were more than willing to accept my refund and apologized for the service I received at the Beretania store. Will never be coming here again. I'd rather drive out to Kaneohe than have to deal with the hostile rude service here. read more

7/7/18 I'm back, this time for tables for my garden. Previously a friend made me wooden plant stands, but with the watering, they eventually dry rotted Rather than spend all that money on lumber and sweat cutting and making more stands, I bit the bullet and bought these tables. They will last a very long time. They come in various, width and length and various height legs so you can configure whatever you want. Bobbie is very helpful. They didn't have the sizes I needed so she was very accommodating and transferred the sizes I needed from the Windward side. You can always find expert advice and garden supplies here...and they have cool garden dustpans!! I also get my pond tablets for my water lilies and the starters for my Manoa lettuce here. I like supporting local business with good people and products! read more

Koolau Farmers - Best tables for my garden. Industrial quality - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

I love coming and buying my gardening things at any one of the locations. I really like the brown turface that I purchase regularly. I usually pay $5.99+tax, but this time a couple months ago, I seen a different price on the bag, $7.99. So I figured maybe the price went up. I then came back recently and seen the bags priced at $5.99 again...prices going up and down? or was I charged a wrong price last time? read more

Koolau Farmers - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Koolau Farmers has a wide variety of different plants. Ever since this COVID-19 broke out, everyone seemed to get into gardening. My usual spots that I normally go to for gardening supplies and plants have been raided, so I decided to check out Koolau Farmers for the first time. Luckily they are considered essential and are open during these times! Located off of Beretania, parking is a bit limited in their parking lot. There are about 4-5 stalls in their lot, but there is also street parking along Beretania. Prices are really decent here for their herbs and veggies, but I was looking for a lemon tree. Found a Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree for $49.95 and a Citrosa plant (for mosquitoes and an impulse buy). I wanted to buy so many more plants, but I told myself to limit since i tend to go overboard. Staff here are friendly once approached. They do not bother you, which I like. Got some help to put the fertilizer in the back of the truck and got some tips on how to successfully grow the lemon tree. Definitely going back here to support them in the future, especially with my new obsession with planting trees. read more

This is my go-to stop for all things plants! I love supporting a local business, and this one makes it easy to do. There's ample parking in the front, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and there's always a great supply of plants to choose from. They also carry soil, fertilizers, and other useful gardening supplies. Whether you're a new plant person, or a full-fledged gardener, Koolau Farmers is sure to have the items to fit your needs! Be sure to check them out next time you're in town... read more

My husband bought me 8 healthy spathoglottis orchid plants. We put two in each large self-watering Lechuza Canto 40 planters. We bought several bags of the orchid potting mix that Bobby recommended which is a pine bark from New Zealand and we bought the slow-release orchid fertilizer that she recommended (both sold at her shop and they delivered everything to our condo too). We put 1 tablespoon of fertilizer on each plant and watered the orchids a little bit every morning like she instructed. I fully expected it to take a few months for flowers to arrive but to my delight, some arrived yesterday afternoon! It's been less than two weeks. Yay! What a lovely Mother's Day gift. Highly recommend. read more

Koolau Farmers - spathoglottis orchid - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

I have been going to Koolau Farmers market for a few years now and every time I go I hope that the older female lady (I think owner) is not working. If she is working I always try to avoid her. She is always unpleasant and rude to me. I wanna support local but the blatant disrespect she has show me and I've witnessed her show others is becoming unbearable. I have easily spent a few thousand dollars at this establishment over the course of ten years and they will be losing a long term customer for good. It's a shame to see her treat her own staff so poorly too. That's why you will never see the same staff at this establishment. Good luck Koolau read more

Isn't that refreshing and peaceful when you see something fresh greens in your surrounding at home? That's what we always wanted to have. A little indoor fresh plant or simply just a succulents will be a great idea for our tiki nest. ~ Koolau Farms help us grant with that and we, the bandits are the happiest. Yeheeey!!! Three small empty jars are now filled with happiness. We purchased lucky bamboo (no sunlight needed), fittonia janita red & the other one that I don't know the exact name but it's a family of succulent. These plants are manageable and we are blessed to have them. All thanks to the guy that I forgot the name but he is really a good help. He manage to explained things properly about indoor plants that we need. He too has patience & really showed us the plants that we're looking for. Awesome superb guy! ~ This place has much Aloha than the 1st one we went to. Pretty sure we will be coming back in here for more indoor plants in the future. ~ Mahalo & HAPPY JUANDERING fellow yelpers! read more

See all

The customer service here is consistently short and rude. Assuming long time employees who run the roost. I just called to inquire about Christmas tree delivery and the background noise was so loud, she literally yelled at me with annoyance when I couldn't hear her the first time. Geesh! read more

There's something very therapeutic about gardening. Perhaps it's the melancholy feeling I get when I play with dirt. Whatever it is, I love it but unfortunately it does not love me back. I've tried growing all sorts of things in the past only for it to die in a few months. I have an indoor plant that has survived the odds and has lasted (KNOCK ON SOME SOLID WOOD HERE) 23 months. However all the other plants I've tried have succumbed to my black hands. I hear there is a plant that will withstand long spells of drought, heat and neglect (no it's not the plastic, synthetic kind). God must have had me in mind when he invented succulents. I have a few now and they are still alive, which in my warped way of thinking tells me that it's the perfect plant for me! So off I go to buy every succulent variety that is available. Koolau Farmers off Beretania Street is the perfect place in more ways than one to start your "no plant left behind" garden. It's a small nursery that houses everything from shrubs, small trees, flowers, orchids, ground "cover" plants and an abundant variety of succulents. Getting there is quite easy as it is on the left side of Beretania and kind of sneaks up on you if you're not paying attention (Beretania is only a one way street so go slow if you're unfamiliar with the area or else you'll be circling the block). Parking is fuss free since they have a private lot. What I love best about this place is that they KNOW their greens! The staff was inviting, KNOWLEDGEABLE and full of tips! When I explained to them that I LOVE gardening but the feeling wasn't mutual, I had their full attention. it was as if it was their mission to help me grow a green thumb. There are plants in our small yard however it is all of my husbands doing and although I'd like to take credit for it I cannot. So a place like this can really help my ego since it's more or less a place of therapy for gardening failures such as myself. Also, they sell the cutest, most charming-est glazed, ceramic pottery here! They're quite expensive in my opinion (price ranges vary with size) but they are unique and "homemade." They contract with a local seller for her glazed goodies. If I hadn't already had a full basket of stuff I would have purchased a few. But like everything, I can't put the cart before the horse (my plants would need to survive my skills first). I purchased a ton of plants and supplies from them and am on my way to creating an Eden of kill proof plants. Stay tuned for a sequel as I'm sure to be returning to Koolau Farmers to update my review. read more

See all

THIS PLACE IS REALLY THE BEST !!! After killing my Rosemary plant I wanted to redeem myself and try to foster another plant so I looked on Yelp and read all the great reviews about here. Some folks say that growing Rosemary is a piece of cake but it's actually kinda tricky if you don't have some important pertinent info ... like don't water it too much !!! My first Rosemary was starting to get a little brown so I instinctively watered it and then it got browner and soon went to plant heaven. When I arrived here I looked at all the Rosemary plants and picked the one that kind of looked like the one I had but decided to ask the young woman at the counter for some tips and boy did I learn a lot. Like how much to water and when to water, how to repot, how much sun is needed ... so now I feel a lot more comfortable about my second try with this new plant. This place is highly recommended not only great plants but for their knowledge about the plants that they sell and on how to care for them. Easy to find with lots of parking. read more

I drove by and was excited to buy local plants instead of from the big box stores for once. I was looking for a specific species of Monstera, Monstera Adansonii (Swiss cheese vine) and located the Monstera section. I only saw the Monstera Deliciosa - or the main monstera plant that is usually seen. I asked the lady employee working for the monstera vine- she pointed to the monstera section and said, "you're in the monstera section, see the sign?" Then I said, "yes, but do you have the monstera vine?" The lady RUDELY responded with a disgusted face. "That's monstera, it will grow, you know." Well, that poor excuse for an employee that doesn't understand different species of plants - I will be continuing to spend my money at the big box stores waiting for the day I hear about the closure of your workplace. Shop at koolau farmers if you want to be treated like an idiot by a disgruntled middle aged woman. read more