Māla Lāʻau (Forest Garden)
A Māla Lāʻau is a layered forest garden built into public space: parks, school grounds, shared land near where people live, free and open to anyone. It starts with the native plants of the place and layers in food, medicine, and the canoe plants Polynesian voyagers brought to Hawaiʻi.
Every Māla Lāʻau starts with two questions, asked of that specific place and community:
what does this place need, and what do the people of this place need?
The first question is about ʻāina. In Wailua, that means ʻŌhiʻa and Koa in the canopy, holding moisture and building the shade everything else grows under. Māmaki and ʻAʻaliʻi in the understory. Palapalai fern on the forest floor, absorbing water and keeping the soil alive. Together they manage water, build soil, and sustain the birds and insects that belong here.
The second question is about people. In a 2024 Kauaʻi community survey, 90% of respondents said food plants were a top priority. 85% said medicinal plants mattered. ʻUlu, kalo, maiʻa. ʻŌlena, noni, Māmaki. Plants for lei. Canoe plants grow alongside the native species because they are what people here have always grown.
Both shape what gets planted. The canopy creates shade. The shrubs and groundcovers of the understory slow down water. Fallen leaves build soil. Food and medicinal plants fill the spaces between. Each layer does different work and the whole supports itself.
This is ecological restoration that includes people. Food, medicine, and lei plants belong here because they are part of a healthy ecosystem. The people who harvest them are part of it too.
Understory designs each māla from the specific history of the land, the native plants that belong there, and what the community grows, eats, and needs. In Wailua Homesteads Park, ʻōhiʻa grown in the nursery are now in ground that was Guinea grass a year ago.
Why Māla Lāʻau Matters
Kalo growing in the park where kids play. Medicine near the bench where aunties sit. Food, medicine, and lei plants growing in layers throughout, to harvest.
The māla is a puʻuhonua, a sanctuary. For the native birds, insects, and plants that belong here. For the people who come to harvest, gather, and rest.
In a 2024 survey of 127 people from Wailua and across Kauaʻi, 83% strongly supported bringing a Māla Lāʻau to Wailua Homesteads Park. People wanted gathering spaces where kupuna could share knowledge with keiki, workshops on native plants and traditional medicine, and food they could grow and rely on. "It's important to plant what feeds not only our bodies but our history."
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
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Māla Lāʻau projects are in parks and shared public spaces. Each one is designed for the specific place and community. The māla is open. Come to a workday or on your own. Bring gloves if you plan to work.
Suggest a location: Click here
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Workshops at the māla start with kilo, the practice of careful observation. Topics include native plant care, sustainable gardening, Hawaiian cultural practices, and traditional plant uses.
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The Wailua Māla Lāʻau has an iNaturalist project. iNaturalist is a free app that logs what you find and connects your observation to a global database. Every photo you take at the māla adds to the annual record of what is living and growing there.
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Native plant and seed sales coming soon.
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Support the Māla Lāʻau
This forest garden is free and open to everyone. It grows on donations and volunteer time.
Your gift goes to plants, tools, and the people who care for it. Understory Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are tax-deductible.
Suggest a Location
Interested in a Māla Lāʻau in your community?
Tell us about the place and we will be in touch.