The Big Island Association of Nurserymen will host its annual fall Horticultural Show and Scholarship Benefit Plant Sale blowout at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multipurpose Stadium today and Saturday. Growers and professionals from around Hawaii Island will be there to answer questions on gardening, landscaping and pest control. Admission is free.
“Everything a gardener could possibly need — such as cacti, orchids, landscaping plants, fruit trees and native Hawaiian plants — will be featured. It’s a great opportunity to see them all at once,” said spokeswoman Allie Atkins. Hours are 5-9 p.m. today and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information and special needs, call 966-7169.
Local nurseries, garden centers and plant wholesalers produce an amazing array of species and varieties, and at the same time are growing their support for future generations of horticulturists attending the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Meet the growers and talk story. Browse through a huge selection of plants, and when you purchase one, the growers pay the sales tax. A silent auction will offer lots of good stuff to bid on.
“Meet and talk with the Big Island’s greatest producers of plants,” said a BIAN spokesman. For more information, email info@hawaiiplants.com.
Also on tap will be the popular University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service plant clinic and other booths. See new plant introductions and educational displays. To stage the show, the association receives assistance from the county Department of Research and Development.
Last fall, the association pledged $15,000 to establish the BIAN Excellence Scholarship Endowment for students pursuing a degree in agriculture in the UHH College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management. The $15,000 contribution will be equally matched thanks to a special scholarship matching program.
“We’re excited to do our part and plant the much-needed seeds for the future generation of horticulturalists,” said BIAN President Sean Spellicy at the check presentation ceremony.
The college’s dean, William Steiner, said the timing for th new scholarship was opportune, with increasing tuition and growing college enrollment. “The number of students pursuing agricultural degrees has been growing and we are especially grateful for the BIAN endowment that will provide ongoing support for CAFNRM students,” said Steiner.
Close to 200 students are enrolled in the CAFNRM, with many of the students in the college specializing in tropical horticulture. This new scholarship will provide financial aid for students who have graduated from a high school in Hawaii and achieve a minimum 3.5 GPA. The BIAN was organized in 1968 and now includes about 75 members. Since the BIAN began, the Big Island has grown to be the hub of a $70 million dollar floriculture and nursery products industry statewide.
