Tropical Garden Accents (also dba Pottery Land Hawaii)

Tropical Garden Accents (also dba Pottery Land Hawaii) is changing Hawaii's landscape one pot at a time.

Nestled into the base of the Koolau range, Tropical Garden Accents' new, 3-acre showroom is a container-garden design destination. It features 1 acre of ceramic pottery, along with container-friendly plants and garden accents, such as fountains and statues, to fulfill the growing demand for this gardening niche.

In a concrete jungle, such as Honolulu, space for gardening is at a premium, says Tropical Garden's co-owner, David Staub. Lanai are really just concrete slabs and backyards are almost an urban myth. With a few potted plants and lots of imagination, Staub and co-owner Scot Willson reinvent these drab spaces into compact, outdoor sanctuaries.

"We transform outdoor areas into a living space that is one of the homeowner's favorite spaces in the house," says Staub. For outdoors, as well as indoors, containers add warmth and intimacy with color and foliage, he explains.

As one of Hawaii's first outdoor pottery outlets, Tropical Garden Accents offers two collections of ceramic pottery. The glazed collection features intense colors perfect for indoor accents, while warm Earth tones compose the rustic, outdoor collection. Created in Thailand, Vietnam and China, ceramic options include pots, statuaries, bird baths, sculptures and other "garden treasures," as Staub likes to call them.

Owners David Staub (left) and Scot Willson travel the world to choose handmade pottery, share their insight with Hawaii's gardeners and still have time to water the flowers.

To offer this wide range of high-quality garden treasures, Staub and Willson travel extensively throughout Asia to learn from the masters. In Indonesia, Java, Sri Lanka and beyond, they look to resort landscapes for ideas to bring back home to Hawaii gardens.

"I try to recreate some of the magic [of the resort garden], so that I can inspire homeowners to create their own mystical gardens," Staub says.

More than just a showroom full of containers, Tropical Garden Accents is an excellent resource for container-gardening ideas. All of its plants are potted and then displayed in groupings that translate directly into the home. Plus, Staub, Willson and the staff are on hand to help.

"I love sitting down with the weekend warrior," Staub says. And, with 12 years of landscaping experience, he is happy to assist garden designers in finding the perfect pot, planter or statue for their clients.

As Tropical Garden Accents continues to grow, Staub and Willson hope to incorporate a nursery, as well as themed garden rooms that offer even more garden design inspiration.