Professional Landscaping Company Discusses the Recent Endangered Plant Scandal in Hawaii

Mobile, Ala.— As a professional landscaping company in Mobile, AL, Heroman Services Plant Company is saddened by a recent event that took place in Oahu, Hawaii. A group of vandals broke into a Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) greenhouse and destroyed endangered native plants.

The vandalized DLNR greenhouse in Waimano was harvesting several types of endangered plants native to Hawaii. After the vandals broke in and made their mark, the ‘Opuhe plant and the Ma’oli’oli plant were seen among the damaged. The ‘Opuhe is a flowering plant from the uplands of Wai’anae, which is also the only place they are currently located in the wild. The Ma’oli’oli is also a flowering plant, but this species is found on the slopes of Le’ahi. Because both of these beautiful plants are endangered, the DLNR greenhouse had invested in growing them, only to find them snapped and destroyed after the vandals broke in.

State botanist Susan Ching is one of the professionals who attended to these plants until she found herself sweeping their soil up from the ground earlier this month. Ching and her team had spent countless hours retrieving the seeds to plant these rare plants, so seeing them destroyed was devastating. Four to five months is the amount of time Ching estimates will be needed to recover.

No doubt, the vandals put a dent in the process of growing these endangered plants, but Ching and her team are not letting this setback discourage them. They will work hard to recover as quickly as possible, and they hope this situation never reoccurs! An investigation has been opened regarding the crime, so anyone who has information is being asked to call the DLNR’s tip line: (808) 634-3567. 

As a sixth-generation horticulture family specializing in both exterior and interior landscaping, Heroman Services Plant Company is saddened alongside Ching and her team but is anticipating a strong recovery with the new plants growing stronger than ever. Heroman offers many different types of plants and décor, including living green walls, small and delicate plant displays, and extravagant plant displays. For more information or to receive a free quote, give Heroman Services Plant Company a call at 800-264-9999 or visit them online at www.heromanservices.com.