Mulkern Landscaping is by four the best on Oahu... The owner is friendly has a great sense of humor and really knows what he's doing!

This is the worst landscaping service on Oahu. I was warned by fellow neighbors when I purchased a home in East Oahu not to keep Mulkern, as others had bad experiences. He quoted me $3000 a month as a "new" customer! I couldn't believe anyone would pay that for a 6200 square foot lot, Mulkern had serviced the yard for the realtor while selling the property; grass was burned, trees a mess, and basically only serviced by blowers according to all the neighbors who had witnessed Mulkern employees. read more

We were delighted with Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery. We wanted to redesign our landscape, including an irrigation system and an eclectic mix of plants that was relatively low maintenance. Both Kevin and Susan Mulkern really listened to our wishes, but also provided suggestions and insights from their years of experience. It was a continual negotiation of ideas (throughout the process, they never stopped listening to our ideas or confirming that we were happy with what was being done). As a result, we are elated with how our yard looks and continues to evolve. And so far, it has been taking us around 2-4 person-hours per week for the two of us to keep it maintained. For us, this is very doable, and we're finding that, because the yard looks so great, it's enjoyable as well. Kevin's sense of humor is from left field (or perhaps from outside the stadium altogether), so we laughed a lot and enjoyed being kept on our toes to get one of his asides. This made the process fun. Another thing we really appreciated about Kevin was his respect and appreciation for his employees. Not a day passed without him telling them "Thank you" for doing tasks right or for asking questions to confirm that they knew what to do. The fact that he cares enough about his employees to let them know that he appreciates them is yet another reflection on the professionalism of Mulkern Landscaping. He was also very creative about ways to save us money, including using existing plugs of grass to re-establish the lawn. The plugs looked to us like little chunks of dead grass, and we could not imagine that they would ever turn green, let alone fill out the whole lawn area, but it has only been a few months and we now have a full and beautiful lawn! Likewise, some of the plants were "babies" when planted (another money-saver), but they are growing taller and filling out really well. Kevin also went beyond the call of duty. For example, he noticed that one of the neighbor's trees was leaning well over into our space and shedding leaves and twigs onto our roof (up to that point we were regularly pruning back the tree on our side of the fence). He asked my permission to talk with the neighbor about it, and found out that the neighbor wouldn't mind having the tree removed but didn't want to pay to have it done. Kevin had his crew remove the tree, at no extra cost to us and at no charge to the neighbor. Even though the work (and contract) ended, Kevin still stops by from time to time to make sure everything looks good and to see if we have any new questions or concerns. In short, I enthusiastically recommend Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery. read more

FRICKIN' UNREAL!! This company wanted to charge me $628 to come out to my home for a "consultation fee"...?! DO NOT BOTHER TO ASK THEM FOR AN "estimate" -- RIP OFF!! read more

I was having problems with my sprinkler system. It wouldn't turn off! I called my regular yardman and he couldn't figure out the issue, so I called Mulkern Landscaping. This is the 2nd time I have called on them to fix my sprinkler problems and they are fantastic! Susan Mulkern runs the office and is super helpful. Her husband Kevin Mulkern called me back and after explaining the issues I was having, he talked me through how to reprogram my sprinkler control box. That solved my problems and at no charge! Kevin has a great sense of humor and had me laughing throughout the phone call. I highly recommend Mulkern for all your sprinkler repair needs! Excellent customer service, and extremely reliable. Call them! read more

Mulkern specializes in water lilies and bamboo so if this is what you are looking for, this is definitely the place to go! If you are looking for anything else, I'd recommend calling in advance to see if they have it as their selection of other plants is somewhat limited. Allen was very knowledgeable and helpful! read more

I searched water lily and found Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery and the "other business" to ask how to pack the plant to carry onto the plane to Kauai. I prefer doing business with people who are nice to me because I'm not. I've been told the I'm unapproachable but HEY! I'm workin on it. The person who answered the phone was very helpful, although I didn't get the answer I wanted. She said that they were having a Lotus Workshop the next Saturday. My husband decid ed to KEEP the water lily he purchased from the swap meet, and we went to Geobunga to buy a bowl. We showed up at the Lotus Workshop 20 minutes early, and Kevin and his crew were hospitable even after finding out we didn't sign up. Ooops! Kevin invited us to look around, and we immediately noticed something. Why were Mulkern's lilies in bloom?!!! They were beautiful! We went to the "other businesses" who told us that their lilies were sleeping because it's winter. hmmmmm BACK TO LOTUS WORKSHOP It was perfect! Accommodations were comfortable ... folding chairs under EZ Corner canopy for protection. The handouts provided just the right amount of information and the visuals aids were perfect. His presentation was concise, and I enjoyed his sense of humor. He also emphasized how we can do our part -- Malama da Aina. His entire crew was friendly and very helpful. Two of them stood out. We purchased our tuber (thank you, Josh for helping us choose) and fertilizer. Kevin even gave us dirt for free to start up our lotus plant. Don't laugh--try walking out of Lowes or Home Depot with dirt and not pay. Kalani packed it in trash bags and loaded into our car. We can't wait for the blossoms. They were so good to us, I want to buy more tubers and lilies. Wished we had a yard worthy of landscaping ... I would hire Mulkern nursery. read more

This place is off the charts good. The owner is knowledgeable and super funny. A great find

B's latest obsession has been building up the fish pond/aquaponics section at our house. He somehow discovered that Mulkern's sold water lilies, so one Saturday we adventured in Waimanalo. Once we pulled into the property and parked our car, we were immediately greeted by two employees. One of them showed us all their water lily offerings that were spread throughout the property. They have all kinds of colors of water lilies (magenta, purple, white, etc.). Other various trees/plants were also for sale. They also have a pretty landscaped area which shows their landscaping skills. The employees seemed knowledgeable and friendly. They were also appreciative that we were shopping locally instead of at a big box store. Good selection, support a local business and check out Mulkern for your plant/landscaping needs! read more

Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery - water lilies - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Mulkern Nursery is the place to go if you're looking water lilies. They have the largest selection I have ever seen and the prices are very reasonable. I had just seen small, half dead water lilies at Petland that were in the $70 range so I was not expecting to be able to buy three healthy water lilies at Mulkern for less than that. They also have a huge selection of landscaping plants neatly organized on their property. What was also impressive was that every single one of their employees was friendly and offered help as if they had just finished a customer service class or something. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that - they were all very welcoming. We selected three water lilies and a few water hyacinths. They showed us how to care for the plants and also gave us care instruction to take home with us. I felt like we were taking home their precious babies so they wanted to make sure we take good care of them. We just bought a couple more water lily pots so we will be back. read more

Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery is many things: organized, neat, located in Waimanalo and family owned. It is a place that I highly recommend. Dorothy Mulkern was working when we visited and she is extremely plant knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Many of the staff members were available to assist us as we walked about the nursery and they too shared Dorothy's enthusiasm. The grounds are well kept and if you are looking for water lilies, bamboo or lotus plants, Mulkern's Nursery is the oasis you seek. Upon entering you will see water lilies in many colors, diverse styles of bamboo and happy flora and fauna of all sorts. The ecosystem of dragonflies, damselflies, frogs and lizards show that the plants are well taken care of and thriving. Dorothy and staff where there to answer many of our questions. They were also able to make suggestions based on our desires and the climate/environment of where the plants are going to be placed. I appreciate solid customer service as oftentimes when I venture out to a business the service is lackluster. That is not the case here. We spent over an hour looking at options and got coffee and cacao trees, a water lily, chives, and sugar cane. If I was not limited by time I could have easily stayed longer. I will return to Mulkern Nursery and Landscaping and do recommend them to anyone seeking professional help with plants. read more

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This review is for their landscaping services only before COVID. All of the beautiful landscaping pictures on their website are the owner's personal residence. It very misleading in the captions that imply the pictures are of actual customers properties. They also charged us a $$$ proposal fee, unlike other companies that provide free quotes. I did not like that some of the workers smoked. Our neighbors later complained that they had blown our trimmings and cigarette butts into their yard. We ended up having to clean up our neighbor's yard ourselves. Overall we were dissatisfied with the job considering the high cost and felt tricked after some friends told us about the source of pictures on their website. You can find better services for much less elsewhere. Really disappointed. read more

I absolutely love this place! Dorothy always help us find the perfect waterlily's for our home. They are reasonably priced and extremely knowledgeable! read more

Mulkern is a gem hidden in the back of Waimanalo. Had a great time this weekend exploring the nursery grounds. Everywhere we looked there were beautiful water features and gorgeous selection of lilies. I was really impressed by their stone fountain displayed at the entrance, and I am seriously considering making one myself. Dorothy was very friendly, helpful and obviously loves her work. If you are looking for water plants or any other landscaping plants for that matter, support your local businesses and stop by Mulkern for friendly service and great selection. read more

We were looking for help with our cacao seedlings, so we decided to stop by the Mulkern Nursery a couple weekends ago. The woman who showed us around, Dorothy, was super helpful and informative. She helped us get them into larger pots with good fertilizer. She also showed us around their nursery and introduced us to some of the other staff, who were all really friendly. They have a good variety of plants, including some BEAUTIFUL water lilies! My girlfriend wants to go back in the early morning one of these Saturdays to check out the flowers that only bloom overnight. I give them 5 stars thanks to the help Dorothy gave us with our plants, which are very happy now in their new, larger homes... I also like that Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery is a local, family-owned business. They really seem to care about their customers, and as well as about their plants! read more

Great customer service and lots of beautiful plants to choose from!! I will definitely be going back for more

Like most homeowners, I'd made tons of mistakes on DIY landscaping and I was ready to call a professional. I'm so glad i got in touch with Susan Mulkern. She really seemed to "get me" and understand the look and feel I was going for in my yard. While they don't do installation and maintenance all the way in Kunia where i live, they will do consultations and design islandwide. Professional design of any kind is never cheap, but it really does save money in the long run. I wish I'd called them sooner, but now I've got a great design to work from and I'll have a garden that is a joy to play in. Than you Susan and Kevin! read more

I came her primarily for water plants (something other than water lilies) because the town plant stores don't carry much and there isn't much at the botanical garden plant sales anymore. I was disappointed in the selection and what they had was in poor condition. I don't know if I was there at a bad time or if the water plants aren't big sellers. Other than that I recommend coming to the nurseries out here for plants because there is much more variety and the plants are more healthy. Also, the staff at nurseries offer a lot more guidance on what works for your space. I highly recommend checking several places and comparing prices - which can vary considerable from place to place. read more

I had landscape consultation and Kevin Mulkern was so personable, very knowledgeable and sent me a comprehensive list of suggestions. I have bought plants from them. I was most impressed after the consultation of how professional he is. read more

yay, mulkern nursery! you can tell dorothy loves what she does and cares a ton for the well-being of plants. you can see that just from what they've done, or you can pay a visit to the nursery! very knowledgeable and def my go-to for plants, plant advice, and starting/renovating gardens! read more

Aloha :-) I am pleased to say that I know Dorothy Mulkern. We recently completed a six-month Permaculture design course together and throughout that time I came to know her as not only super friendly and insightful about plant knowledge and landscape design but a really cool person in general. All of that aside the reason I am writing this review is because recently my girlfriend Kelly and I had a Permablitz. (Check out PermablitzHI on Facebook) and Dorothy was a critical component to making this blitz happen. We had all of these volunteers and tons of work to do but not much to plant. Dorothy and Mulkern nursery donated over $1200 in plant material. From beautiful Monastery bamboo to Golden bamboo as well as some vining flowers, Taro and coffee trees :-). I am truly blown away by her kindness and great spirit. If anybody is looking for bamboo, water plants or any number of other landscaping services I highly recommend you go and visit Mulkern Nursery!!!!!! read more

I am working on my garden in a new home. For now I got a water lily and some other water plants as well as some black taro. I am eying up their magnolia trees and bamboo, so I definitely have plans on returning to this nursery. It is a lovely drive out, wonderful to walk through the plants and a knowledgeable staff ready to help with questions and concerns. I look forward to working with them in the near future! read more

Went to pick up some Xmas gifts, and they had exactly what I was looking for. Dorothy was very helpful and very knowledgeable. Definitely will be going back :) read more

I'm not much of a gardener, so I can't handle plants that require a lot of attention. Mulkern's mostly has larger plants like bamboo and water lilies (they have some pretty displays), but they also had some smaller plants that don't need much watering. The staff at Mulkern's were really helpful with recommendations, and I'm really happy with the plants that I got. Definitely worth checking out! read more

I worked part time for Kevin Mulkern as a landscaper for a year after graduating from UH with a B.S. in Tropical Plants and Soil Sciences. I had expressed a great interest in learning the trade as a landscape contractor and wanted to balance out my studies with practical applications within Hawaii . Kevin and the rest of the Mulkern Family demonstrated great interest in my professional development . They were very open with how they operated their business. In addition I learned a great deal about installing and repairing irrigation systems among other common landscaping tasks. About 4 months ago I started my own small landscaping business, but can still reach out to Kevin and tap into his vast experience that has helped me solve problems in my own business. Kevin and Susan Mulkern are involved in improving the landscaping industry in Hawaii. I recommend the professionals at Mulkern Landscaping for all your landscaping needs. read more